John was stilling steaming when the pompous jerk came back with a small pouch filled of their currency.
Snape looked over to find him by the wall, proceeding with a once-over before remarking, "Well, I am pleased to be informed that you can follow the simplest of instructions Constantine."
John just scowled slightly, definitely aware of the small upwards form that the teacher's mouth took.
The douche was getting off on making his life a living hell.....
"Now, we have a sufficient enough amount to acquire what we need. Come."
John, unfortunately, had little choice to follow, as he was his ride out of here.
Soon they were back out on the street, even while it was yet another day of cloudy skies, the contact of what sunlight there was made John wince.
They left in the morning, plenty of time for the big old star to catch up to them.
Their next stop was closer than the young mage thought it'd be, maybe only a few blocks away tops.
John peered his neck up to the sign hanging overhead,
Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions.
Robes?
What was this the Medieval time period?!
What was wrong with just a jumper and tie?!
Inside the tailer shop, an elder woman helped down a boy around his age from a stool.
An older man stood to side, observing the scene.
Father or relative at least.
"-I'd say 'round......Wednesday sir."
"Thank you very much," he smiled down at his son below him, "We'll have to come back next year aye?"
The man payed what he owed and walked past John, Snape already ahead of him, spoke to what John presumed was Miss Madam Malkin.
"-alright then dearie, hop on up there and sit tight while I measure ya!"
Good lord.
She was using that kid voice someone had when conversing with a toddler!
But new clothes, while technically a uniform, sounded nice.
So John accepted his fate.
"Al-alright...."
Snape would be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy the frustration his new student was endearing, the whelp had it coming.
With his trip to the bank successful, he could scratch off one annoying errand Dumbledore had him doing once more.
Merlin knows that he could be using his time elsewhere.
He kept his amusement to himself as Constantine squirmed unfortunately at being in a close proximity, and barely being able to hide the tick of resentment he held while the woman continued babbling him in such a babyish tone.
Thankfully his robe sorter had never been that low.
"-Alright then dearie, you best behave now! I've come across some with a face just as cute as yours but were such troublemakers I swear!-"
John couldn't keep in the sigh and his physical sagging in relief as he was freed from his motionless station and lead out the door they came through.
"Oh thank god....."
John didn't see the look of amusement pass through his teachers eyes as he busied himself to mentally bless whatever heaven above freed him of his metaphorical curse.
Not much could be said about the quite possibly literal one.
——————————————————
"Your wand will be next Constantine."
John froze.
Shit- wand!
John didn't use a wand!
-and he wasn't a wizard either!
John Constantine knew that this would go down one a of few ways, and he was betting on them picking this one:
The wizard will find out that he is indeed NOT a wizard by their standards.
This path of realization comes with its pros and cons equally.
Pro-He wouldn't have to go through all this lousy shit anymore. No school, no magical item shopping, (no student loan debt.....) and no more misunderstandings.
Con-John wouldn't be able to learn more about the wizarding community.
He wouldn't be able to find out if there was anything useful to him, not only to him but the Rising Darkness and his current mess with whatever the hell was bent on making his life just that.
Pro-WITH the help of his own magic, they'll have a better chance believing his looney tunes of a plot situation, maybe help even.
Con-They'll have some questions John wouldn't feel comfortable and will not answer under any circumstance.
Plus John really wasn't much of a team player anywho, little get togethers will a pal or two (like the his normal little trio back at home consisting of Chas, Zed and occasionally Manny) were fine by him, but things got complicated with numbers higher than that.
The good ol Bat in Gotham knew his dilemma very well on a very personal level.
Hell, even outdoin John every other day.
But John digressed.
"Do you need an invitation to every shop we walk to Constantine?"
John blinked up.
"While I prefer your silent mouth when you doddle around in your imagination-at least have half your brain still covering your surroundings."
HOooooooo........He didn't seem like he approves of daydreaming-or god forbid sleeping in his class.
"Get in."
John didn't waste time.
He made sure to keep a three foot perimeter away from the Professor, instead keeping loyally to the desk edge, waiting for the man that peered his head from one of the shelves' sides.
The shop itself was dusty, messy and contained an older air to it.
Papers cluttering the shop counter, shelves stacked to the brim with shoebox like items and lamps having a thick enough coat of dust that John could've sworn that if he tried-John could've rolled up little dustmen.
It's name wasn't going to be Frosty though......
"Hhmmm........interesting....a face I can't recall......Muggleborn then?-seeing as though a teacher is escorting you around the alley."
The elder man spoke with pace and with a strange mannerism as he slid down his ladder and wondered over.
Speaking to John as if he were and not there at the same damn time.
"Most likely orphaned....another reason for the escort-that or the parents were unable to attend........"
The man had a look filled with curiosity.
Behind him was a 'tsk' of impatience.
The man oddly enough didn't flinch at his new Professor's sadly normal behavior, merely sparing one quick glance at Snape before zooming back to him.
"Apologies from an old man my boy,"
John liked him already.
"-you understand how the mind whirls it's own way when touched by the strange phenomena that is curiosity."
Yeah.
Curiosity.
He sure seemed to have a lot of that.
He offered down a hand.
"Ollivander, and you my dear boy?"
John felt a bit better.
The man in front of him was yes odd, but genuine.
Not too much kid treatment either, something that was fine with John.
He grabbed the hand with a firm shake.
"John Constantine Mr. Ollivander."
There was a twinkle in his eyes that reminded him of the Headmaster.
"Constantine.......No....I don't recall a single Constantine comin into my shop."
John grinned.
"Well sir, please do me the honor of being the first!"
The shop owner laughed outright, pulling back his hand then picking up a quill-a quill?
The fucks wrong with a regular pen?!
They don't use quills at Hogwarts do they?!
If so then John had to smuggle some in because no way in hell.
"Mr. Constantine, are you left, right or ambidextrous?"
"Right sir."
While John commonly had use of both hands, his right had the role of his dominant hand.
"Hmmm....right handed wands.....right hand, right hand, right hand."
The man mumbled the reminder as he took a turn to the right side of the room, stepping down the isle of boxes.
John had to lean over a bit to keep his eyes following Ollivander.
Ollivander skimmed through the small boxes with his fingers, mumbling 'right hand' and shit like 'unicorn hair', 'oak frame', and oddly enough even 'dragon core'.
Ollivander picked up a few, the lengthy boxes stacked atop each other as he round back through the left side.
"Right, here we are!"
The elder man laid them out on the counter, five blue and grey boxes lined up ready for use.
"Go ahead and start with one Mr. Constantine."
John blinked, looking at him and the boxes.
"Any of em?"
Ollivander nodded eagerly.
"Yes."
John found himself nodding back.
".....right...."
He picked up the one on his farthest left.
One of the grey boxes.
Ollivander grinned, taking the box from him and opening the lid.
"An excellent choice!"
There he pulled out carefully another stick, not that John was surprised.
But the stick wasn't all bad lookin though...
Mr. Ollivander held up a dark, dusty grey colored wand.
"Ahh.....yes. Ash wood.....Unicorn hair for its core. A fine match for a dependable wand."
He gingerly laid the handle in John's right palm.....
"Well then.....lets give it a whirl then eh?"
"Uhh....I don't know any spells sir."
He raised a brow.
"You don't truly need to speak out a spell when trying one for the first time-but if you want......how bout an quite simple trick that you yourself will learn soon as a first year, lumos."
John titled his head at the name.
Ollivander smiled, "Lumos produces a bit of light when nothing around you will."
Oh.
Like a torch then.
Sure.
John cleared his throat a bit, and lifted the wand in a little circle.
"Lumos."
HA! YOU THOUGHT! ITS JUST MY HEADASS YOU MUST DEAL WITH HAHAHAHAHA(insert evil laughter here thx)!
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I am attempting to upload more frequently for now for I have a certain deadline to catch-one that you will all see soon enough!
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