HP: The Salazar's Heir Chapter 20

End of Arc 1: The Heir

Chapter 20: Shopping for a New Year

Waking up with a slight headache as a result of his late night magic research, Sebastian had two glasses of water, hoping to feel a little better.


He hurried to freshen up, taking a bath and fixing his hair.


Today was an important day for him.


Well, almost all the days had been important but this day was something the he was excited about rather than feeling a sense of responsibility for it.


He quickly arranged the room as his distaste for dirty and unorganized places screamed at him to clean everything up before leaving.


And by the time he was done, he heard a knock on his door.


“Are you ready, Sebastian?”


He knew that voice, it was Dumbledore. The old headmaster had agreed to take him out to shop.


“Just a minute.”


Dusting the pillow and putting it nicely to the edge of the bed, Sebastian rushed to open the door.


“I apologize for asking you to go this early,” The old man said, “But unfortunately I have somewhere to be in the afternoon.”


“You didn't even have to bother with it, I am sure I could have gone shopping alone, sir.” Sebastian assured, “Or if Hagrid was free, I would have gone with him.”


Dumbledore knew that Sebastian was trying to be respectful, something that was not unusual but it felt like Sebastian was slowly but surely adjusting to the place and era. 


“So, are you ready to go?” The old man asked and the boy nodded, a nod in concealed excitement.


They took no rides, no flights.


They were wizards, they were people who took the most efficient path.


And the floo network was just one of those paths.


Britain was a cool place, a chilly place to be precise. Not just in terms of weather but in the aspect of development as well.


Sebastian was both amazed and uneasy seeing the changes. They felt amazing yet horrifying, colorful yet dull and peaceful yet at unease.


The buildings were astounding, they had changed a lot in terms of architecture.


The colors felt new, colors that were not commonly used in the past but at the same time they felt dull, monotonous and even gloomy.


He loved how peaceful the place was, no wars breaking out at every city, no witch hunt and no discrimination in the terms of magical abilities. Yet the place felt uneasy, unsettling, busy and hard to breathe in.


“That is what we call change.” Dumbledore said, walking next to the anxious Sebastian. 


Anxiousness was not something Dumbledore expected to see in Sebastian, especially considering how brave he had been all this time. But then again, he was a child that was forced to grow quicker than appreciated and while he would say he was there for him, he was not Sebastian’s family.


And Dumbledore understood how painful and scary it was to be alone. He had gone through it, he had also lost the ones he loved. And no matter how much one tries to hide the feeling of loneliness, it always crept up on them at some point.


And with Sebastian, Dumbledore believed it was in the form of being lost.


“Change?” Sebastian asked, “Not development?”


“Development is improvement.” Dumbledore explained, “And while we have developed in many regards, we have also lost a lot of progress.”


Sebastian went quiet, after all, he was the one to say that at the court.


“But change is a mix of both, progression and regression.” The old man guided the boy through the densely packed alley, “And so, this is change. And whether we like it or not, it is something that has occur and will occur.”


Sebastian recalled a similar statement made by his mother, not grandfather but mother. He did not remember it well as his relationship with his parents was never that close, but he did recall that there was something she said.


Something that made him feel both warm and sad. And unfortunately for him, he only recalled the feeling and not the words.


“The uniform also had seen changes.” Dumbledore said, changing the mood a little. “The colors can be a bit monotonous as compared to the past but in a way you can say they are more professional.”


This was a theme that he saw. 


Single colors rather than a collage of colors. Even when they went through multiple colors, it was often the same color but of different shades.


“Your books will be delivered to you by tonight. So for now we have to buy clothes and a wand. As for the clothes we will be going to Madam Malkin’s shop.” The headmaster explained, “She is an excellent witch and has been tailoring clothes for students of Hogwarts since years now.”


The shop he was referring to was a purple painted store with a few mannequins on display that wore the Hogwarts uniform alongside a few others that had a certain few fancy designed robes.


As they walked in, Sebastian was immediately greeted by possibly the brightest palette of colors he had seen in a long time.


It was not just shades, there were colors of shades that he only saw in picture books. 


Fabrics of various tones and textures and the thing that he loved the most was the smell.


It smelled nice, each fabric had a different smell and Sebastian found it oddly addictive.


“Welcome!”


Just as he felt lost in the maze of robes, the excited greeting brought him out of it.


“It's been a while, Madame Malkin.” He heard the headmaster speak and as he looked to his right, he saw a chubby woman standing with a tapestry and an excited expression.


“By Merlin! I did not expect you to come as the guardian, professor Dumbledore!”


Maybe she was acting or maybe it was just her nature to always appear excited, Sebastian didn't know. 


“I decided to use the excuse of taking a stroll in the name of guiding this young boy.” He laughed, “But yes, as I already told you about him, I hope you have the things ready.”


“Of course!” The woman expressed, “Thanks to you already sending the measurements, I had been able to tailor just the perfect set for him.”


The woman looked at Sebastian, “And it is such a honor to see the heir of Salazar Slytherin with my own eyes.” She said, “Your story is quite impressive and I believe you will go through a lot of adventures in Hogwarts.”


Sebastian’s expression softed, “I hope so too, ma’am.”


“As for your uniform, for which I got three different kinds of robes on professor Dumbledore’s request.” 


At her words, Sebastian looked at Dumbledore, wondering what the old man had asked for him.


“For your first set, it is the full uniform set alongside the standard black hogwarts robe with the elegant emerald green layer and beautifully tailored silver linings.” The woman presented him with a beautiful black and green robe alongside the clothes to be worn underneath it. 


As for the green, Sebastian knew that it was the classic Slytherin green and he liked that a lot.


“You will get two more sets of this same design delivered to you in two days’ worth of time, but since we were at a shortage of time, this one should work.” 


At her statement, Sebastian once again looked at Dumbledore. “Why three sets?”


“Because while you can always use your magic to instantly clean the dress, it is also nice to have spares in case something happens to your main set.” He explained and it did make sense to him.


“As for your second set,” The woman said, drawing his attention to a rather casual looking robe. “This is an all purpose robe that can be used for even rough purposes. So, do not be worried that it might get torn or burnt while playing or experimenting, it is enchanted to withstand any and all conditions.”


This impressed Sebastian, mostly because it took a lot of skill to enchant clothes. It was not simple runes that were used, but proper enchantment magic casted for each purpose.


“And finally–” As she took out the final set, Sebastian was left amazed. 


“It's beautiful…”


The final robe was an emerald-green garment with intricate silver detailing and clasps. Its graceful, flowing design reflected sophistication and ambition. It featured the emblem of the Slytherin house—a sleek, silver serpent—adorned on the chest, symbolizing cunning and resourcefulness. The robe also carried an air of prestige, fitting for those aspiring to greatness within Slytherin's ambitious and cunning ranks. Above all, it was an elegant attire.


A perfect robe.


“This is for when you have to attend fancy events, and considering you are a Slytherin, I added a few Slytherin traits.


Sebastian was at a loss for words, the robe was genuinely gorgeous and he found it difficult to express of how pretty he found it.


But then he remembered something, “It must have costed a lot, right?”


Money was not an issue, he had enough to buy clothes for an entire village and more. However, he knew for a fact that these robes were not cheap.


“Do not worry,” Dumbledore assured, “After your little visit to the court and your display. Many figure heads wanted to build connections with you, so they sponsored all your clothes, books and necessities for this year.”


But this raised a flag for Sebastian, “What do they want in return?”


Dumbledore shook his head, “They want a lot but they are aware that they cannot ask for anything. So, they offered all these as a token of apology for dragging you to court and to possibly form a good relationship with you in the future.”


Sebastian felt like scoffing at those words. He knew that they were just greedy bastards hoping to use him. But he was taught well enough to know not to reject free things, especially when there was no obligations he had to make in return.


“I must admit, you have managed to impress me once again, Madam Malkin.” Dumbledore said, sharing the same sentiment as Sebastian. “This last set is gorgeous.”


“That is the least I could have done for someone of the Slytherin bloodline.”


Sometimes, being from a reputed family had more perks than people gave credit for.


…

…


[[Ollivander’s Wand Shop]]


“There there kiddos, don’t be so anxious.”


Inside the dimly lit room of the famous Diagon Alley shop, a certain old man walked around polishing and stacking magical wands. 


For him it was a daily event, but he didn't consider it to be a job, he considered it to be his lifestyle.


To him wands were not tools but his own children. The man showed more love and care to wands than to people and that was a trait that he was well known for.


It was also a trait that made him the most famous wandmaker in all of Britain.


“Are you inside, Garrick?” 


The man was none other than Garrick Ollivander, the current family head of the house of Ollivander and the most famous wand maker of Britain.


“That voice… is that you Dumbledore?” 


Garrick knew who the voice belonged to. That voice was one of the reasons his sales were that high.


“You may come in.”


He already knew who was the person, and he knew who he was bringing with him as well.


There were only a handful of times when Dumbledore came with a student instead of sending someone else.


He remembered the last time he came with a boy, sadly that boy turned out to be a mistake.


So, for him to come alongside another boy –Garrick knew that the person was special.


“I know that you do not lie, yet I never believed you when you told me about the boy you were bringing.”


Ollivander slowly turned towards the opened door too see a bearded old man, seemingly of the same age standing alongside a certain boy.


A boy with eyes greener than emeralds and an appearance far more regal than the princes of royal blood. 


He knew who the boy was just with a single look, but it is difficult for him to believe it.


“Sebastian Slytherin,” The man, despite his disbelief, put on a warm smile. “I have been alive for so long that I believed to have seen everything that life had to offer. But never did I expect to meet a blood relative of Salazar Slytherin in this lifetime.”


Sebastian gave a nod, already briefed about Garrick. Sebastian respected the skilled craftsmen, and he especially respected wand makers. As wand making was a skill that he knew was one of the most difficult skills to learn.


“Good day to you, sir.” The boy greeted, “I have heard a lot about you.”


Garrick laughed loudly, “Clearly nowhere close to anything relating to the Slytherins that I have heard of.”


Garrick wanted to deny, but the resemblance to a Slytherin descendant was uncanny.


“You know why we are here today.” Dumbledore said, “There is no better wandmaker than you so it was only natural that I brought him to you.”


“And I couldn’t be more grateful.” And he wasn’t lying. Hogwarts had been one of the major reasons Ollivander was so popular and the sales were always ongoing. 


While Ollivander was a name that was known worldwide, over the years with the emergence of new wandmakers, competition had also increased.


But thanks to Hogwarts, Ollivander had at least one guaranteed customer. 


That being nearly the whole of Hogwarts.


“So, I was told you are looking for a wand.” Garrick moved towards the counter just as Sebastian and Dumbledore walked closer to him.


“I was hoping to find a wand that would suit me.” Truth was the Sebastian wanted a wand that he could use for rapid spell casting. 


He had enough magical power and control that he did not require a wand capable of amplifying magic power or balancing it.


“A good answer.” Garrick felt happy hearing that, “With the wands made in here, the wand chooses you.”


Sebastian found that to be an interesting statement.


“I can show you the wands,” He explained, “But it will be on you and the wand if you two are compatible.”


“His magic is quite… special.” Dumbledore said, “So, I hope you consider than Garrick.”


The wandmaker nodded as he searched through the racks.


“A simple wand will not work.” He said, “Let's first try with the three superior cores.”


Although the three superior cores, Dragon heartstring, Unicorn hair, and Phoenix feather were the three primary magic cores. And Ollivander was of the believe that these cores were better than every other core –he still could not deny that some wizards were simply not suited with them.


And he had a certain feeling that it was going to be the case with Sebastian.


“We can work around the wood, so let us see if any of the three core reacts with you.” Saying that, he took out a nice semi long wand. “An 11 inch, willow wood and dragon heartstring wand.” 


Sebastian took the wand in his hand, trying to sense the magic inside of it. He knew that he could cast spells with it, matter of fact any wand worked for him. But it just didn't feel comfortable.


“Willow is for people with great potential and dragon heartstring is for those that want to experience stronger spells and charms.” He said, “But seems like the core is not exactly meant for you.”


He looked at Sebastian, “Most cases when Dragon Heartstring rejects a person is because they are not strong enough but in rare cases it also happens when the wizard does not necessarily need an extra boost in their magic, if they possess a potent enough magic, Dragon Heartstring can be rather useless.” He smiled, “And something tells me that it is the latter with you.”


Saying that he took out another wand, this time a longer one. “This is a rare one. A holly wood with Phoenix Feather as its core.”


Once again Sebastian took the wand, a wand which was around 13 inches. 


“13 and ⅔ inches.” Ollivander explained, “Holly is suitable for the ones that are a little reckless and Phoenix Feather, while extremely rare, is one of the greatest for efficient casting and least energy consumption.”


He looked at Sebastian, “Do you feel anything.”


Unfortunately, this was not the one either.


“Quite sad, I was hoping for this last Phoenix Feather core wand to find its owner.” He sighed and pulled out a third, “The last of the trio is a yew wood wand with Unicorn Hair. Yew is very helpful for casting stronger spells as for Unicorn Hair, they are very dependable and stable while also possessing ridiculous amount of magic.”


Dumbledore and Garrick both looked at Sebastian, hoping that this would be the wand for him.


But deep down they knew that it wasn’t the one.


And it was proved to be correct.


“I don’t think that this is the one.” Sebastian sighed before returning the wand.


“Quite unfortunate but worry not.” Garrick put on a smile, “While they are called the superior cores, it is the wizard that has to be comfortable with them. If it does not suit the wizard, there is no point in calling them superior.”


He turned to take out a few more wands, “And I believe in your case, they cannot be called Superior Cores.”


As he said that, he took out a few more wands –each of varying sizes and colors.


“Troll Whiskers, Coral, Rougarou Hair, Veela Hair, Thestral Hair…” Garrick placed many different wands in the counter, “Do check if any if these suits you. Otherwise, we will have to look for something entirely custom mode.”


Sebastian nodded and went through each one of them. With each test, his excitement went dimmer. 


As he soon realized that maybe these wands were not for him. 


He went through the first three before realizing that Slytherin blood was not something that usually worked with ready made wands.


Even his parents found it difficult to adjust to ready made wands and had to go for custom ones.


So, by the time he was on the fifth wand, he asked.


“Is there any core… that is serpent related?”


At that question Garrick scratched his head, “There is the Horned Serpent core, but it didn’t react with you either.”


Sebastian shook his head, “No… I mean a serpent more magical, more powerful… more… Slytherin like.”


Garrick went silent for a moment, unsure of what to suggest.


Until, until he heard Dumbledore.


“Garrick…” Dumbledore called, “Do you recall three years ago you found a certain something that you experimented on and deemed unusable?” Dumbledore mused, “It was from a certain magical beast, a serpentine beast.”


Saying this he looked at Sebastian, “The same beast because of which we had to visit the court.”


Both Sebastian and Garrick had their eyes widened, one in hope and the other in disbelief.


“You cannot possibly ask me to sell you a failed product?” Garrick scoffed, “The core worked with no wood except snakewood. Even with that I could barely manage to craft one that was of 8’ which is smaller than the usual and regulated size. You know how difficult and unstable wands of that size are?”


He shook his head, “The core is unstable, it does not listen to anyone. If I sell it, it will only end up being a safety hazard.”


However, Sebastian was of an entirely different belief.


“You said… Basilisk core?” Sebastian was invested, “Snakewood and that it does not listen to anyone?”


This got him even more excited then simply getting a wand.


“Yes, but it is a failed wand.” Garrick felt pained to even say that. Wands were like children to him and to call one a failure, that hurt him more than anyone could expect.


“I believe it is not a failure.” Sebastian said with confidence, “I believe that I can tame it.”


This made both the older men curious.


“How do you plan to do so?” Garrick asked as Dumbledore nodded.


“I am wondering the same, Sebastian.”


The boy smiled, “Please trust me on this and at least let me have a look at it.”


There was a very specific reason that he was so adamant about it.


“If you say so…” Garrick frowned, “But do not blame me if you get hurt.”


“I won’t, I promise.” Sebastian smiled, and Garrick went back a little before entering the storage room.


A few moments passed as Dumbledore waited for an answer but didn't get any. However, he knew that Sebastian had something in mind and thus he decided to be patient.


And after a few moments of wait, the man finally returned with a yellow-ish green tinted wand which was the smallest he had seen so far.


“This… is the wand.”


Saying this Garrick placed the wand on the counter, and Sebastian’s heartbeat became hurried the moment he laid his eyes upon it.


‘It’s nearly the same!’ He yelled in his mind.


“It is a wand that is mostly likely never going to find a o–”


Garrick froze, unable to complete his sentence as the boy in front of him showed him a ridiculous scene.


“I knew it!” Sebastian grinned, as the wand glew green in his hand and he felt the magical energy inside his body syncing with the magic of the wand. 


“I told you, Garrick.” Dumbledore smirked, “He is a special child.”


Garrick was left baffled, he didn't expect anyone to be able to tame the wand.


But he was proven wrong in the matter of seconds.


“I am stupid.” Garrick shook his head, “Of course the core of basilisk, a core made of the strongest serpentine beast was tamed by a Slytherin.”


Seeing the excitement in Sebastian’s eyes as the wand accepted him as its owner, Garrick felt stupid but also happy.


Yet what both Dumbledore and Garrick thought to be a perk of simply being a Slytherin was much more complex than that.


‘This is the same as grandfather’s wand!’


Salazar Slytherin’s wand was one that was made of the same wood and core. The only difference was the size which Sebastian thought was better to be small.


The smaller the wand, the easier to carry it. And the easier it was to hide. 


As for how he tamed it.


Unknown to anyone other than the Slytherins, Basilisk core wands could only be tamed with parseltongue, one that Sebastian was skilled at.


And thanks to that, he finally had everything he needed to start his new school life.