"So neither of you actually uses magic? Isn't that a terrible waste of your talents?" Garin asked as they walked through Paris.
"We never got around to learning it, for... obvious reasons," Nagini said.
"I see. Well, we shall change that then. After I acquire my wand, which I am very excited for, and by as many books as we are allowed to, we shall start on your magical journey together. And solve both of your problems at the same time."
Garin naturally knew that he didn't need a wand. But he was so amused by the idea of using a piece of wood to wave around that he simply couldn't resist getting one. Besides, he would stand out far too much if he didn't use one in this world.
It was also a good way to get others to underestimate you. If they believe that you need the help of a wand or 'object', taking it away might appear like a sound strategy to defeat you. And preparing for future encounters with the unknown was what Garin had started to do more and more.
But first, they needed money. The local magical coin, at least.
They walked towards the hidden place in Paris where many magical stalls and shops were located. But what they were looking for specifically was the bank.
Garin, after having the idea behind a bank, thought that it was a brilliant idea if you wanted to make money. But it would require power, at least in his mind. Otherwise, how could you enforce the rules they stood for?
They walked in and saw many wizards and witches going about their business, while goblins stood behind counters, greedily taking money. It was honestly amusing for Garin to see this the first time.
They were, in essence, smaller people who had specialised themselves. Greed was omnipresent, and these goblins had it in spades.
"What do you want?" the goblin asked without looking up from his ledger.
"Greetings, my friend. I was wondering whether I could exchange raw resources for galleons?" Garin asked.
The goblin looked up, scrutinising Garin before nodding lightly.
"Yes. The exchange rate is as stated here on this form. If you aren't happy with it, you can leave. The bank will take 15% of everything you exchange. What do you want to exchange?"
Garin hadn't had much time to learn what the goblin was saying, but thanks to his beyond-genius intelligence, he had picked up everything at speeds that beggared belief.
"15%? That seems like it's a bit much, no?"
"Take it or leave it!" the goblin snarled.
He was clearly taking advantage of Garin, and the Prince realised that. But right now, he was indeed on the shorter end of the stick, so he swallowed his pride and nodded with a smile on his face.
"Very well. Here's what I have," Garin said and revealed several ounces of gold and silver he had brought with him.
The goblin's eyes seemed to shine with immense greed before he controlled himself and got to testing the gold's purity. The process took a long time, several hours in fact, but eventually, Garin, Nagini and Credence left the bank with 1,420 galleons.
"What now?" Nagini asked.
"Now, we go and buy what we need. A wand for you and for me, and then as many books as we can. And then, we'll learn it and get to perform a heist."
"A heist?... What are you talking about?" Credence asked, getting worried and impatient.
"Relax, my friend. Nothing in this world is free. Even if you think it is, everything at least costs time. And that goblin in there stole from me. I was pretty much robbed, and they call that business. I'm naturally not going to take that lying down."
"..."
"You can't steal from the goblins!" Nagini protested.
"Why? I realised that it is bad form, but they didn't treat me with respect either, so why should I?" Garin asked.
"No, you just can't steal from the goblins. It's impossible."
"Now, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, no? Surely it's improbable, but impossible? I don't believe that for a second."
.
They took hours buying and strolling through the magical shopping district in Paris.
Ironically, the last place anyone suspected Credence to be was in the heart of magical France. And that gave them a short timeframe to acquire what Garin would need to understand the magical system of this world fully. That was how insane his talent and understanding were now: all he needed was a bit of demonstration and/or theoretical knowledge to figure out the entire system.
In the shopping district, Garin was sadly forced to ignore most of the shops for lack of time. The shop that sold broomsticks, a coffee and tea shop, a shop that offered exquisite sweets, quills of all kinds, as well as ugly robes; there was a shop for magical pets and other animals that were a bit rarer. Different alcoholic drinks like butterbeer, fire whiskey, and the like.
Where Garin did stop was to buy a cauldron in a cauldron workshop, a shop that sold magical trunks and a rather popular bookshop. The bookshop was where Garin first bought the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic's curriculum. This was the French wizarding school located in the Pyrenees mountains of southern France, as Garin learned, and one of the three largest in Europe, the other two being Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Durmstrang Institute.
After the school books, Garin also went to other, darker street corners to find any book about charms, curses and transfiguration he could find. Other than that, he quickly flipped through all the other books in the shops and committed those to memory. He would have bought all of them, but he had limited amounts of money... for now.
After a few hours...
"Garin! We need to leave!" Nagini hissed as she found him flipping through another book at breakneck speeds.
"Have they found us?" he asked without looking up.
"Yes. They recognise Credence. I suspect we have but a few minutes before--"
He held up a hand, finished the book and placed it back on the shelf. He nodded towards her, smiled at the man who owned the rather run-down, surely illegal shop and then left. They walked into a small side street at the back of the shop.
"Grab my shoulders," Garin told the two.
After they did, Garin used what he had just learned and apparated out of there.
*Pop*
Not even 10 seconds later, several Aurors rushed to the alley and looked around, feeling the use of magic seconds earlier. They attempted to get a read on where they went, but surprisingly, they couldn't.
It was already too late. Garin had observed and learned enough to figure out the magical system in this world and had started introducing small changes to some spells. Although he had never tried apparition before, such was his insane talent as The Archmage that he could do it on the first try.
"They're gone."
"How did they do that?"
"Who was that person with the boy? Do either of you know?"
"No. We were told that he was there when Credence was last seen."
"We need to find them and fast."
.
Garin apparated to a small attic not that far away. He had been looking for a place for the three of them to stay for now and had chosen the inconspicuous location.
"Where are we?" Nagini asked.
"How did you do that? I thought you didn't know magic," Credence asked.
"I do know magic, but I hadn't known how to use the magic you use here. But I learned about it in the past few hours."
Garin started setting up a place for him to work. He was going to make good on his promise to the two young ones and would help them. From what he guessed, blood magic was what would help both of them, and while he absolutely abhorred the idea of using it due to his hatred of the Valyrians, he would still do it.
He promised after all.
"You learned how to apparate by reading a few school books?" Nagini asked in disbelief.
"I read other books as well. Some were quite interesting. There is such a wide array of spells, charms, curses, potions and the like here, which was interesting to read about. But in essence, it isn't a particularly hard magical system. The need to rely on a magical foci is a weakness in my opinion and one that will be exploited."
"What are you talking about?" Nagini asked, confused about the strange things Garin was saying.
"What are you doing?" Credence asked as he watched Garin set up what he needed.
"I am preparing my workstation. To solve your problems, I'll need to cover a bit of theory before we can proceed," Garin explained.
"And how will you do that in an abandoned attic with almost no materials to work with?" Nagini asked doubtfully.
"You are constantly asking the good questions, Nagini. Never lose that. Sadly, in my case... I'm a bit different."
Garin took his miniature trunk out of his pocket and threw it on the ground. It grew to its original size and stood before him on the floor. He opened the trunk and started pulling out several essentials they would need to make the small space they had somewhat cosy.
He pulled out food, drinks, warm blankets, pillows, chairs, a table and more.
"What... how are you fitting all of this inside there?"
"This is called the extension charm. This sophisticated charm is used to expand an object's internal dimensions while retaining its external appearance. The charm also magically disguises itself so that no one but the caster, in this case, I, and those the caster confided in can realise that this spell has been cast over the object, even if they are experiencing it. It's a particularly amazing charm because it also renders the contents lighter.
Now, normally, this charm is advanced magic and heavily controlled by the Ministry of Magic. However, after reading about it and buying the trunk from the shop we were at, I couldn't help but use it on the outside of the trunk as well, causing it to shrink.
It's a bit of a variation, and it takes a moment to calculate the spatial dimensions carefully, but it worked out well."
...
"So, we'll just wait now?" Credence asked. "I want to know who I am!"
"Patience, young man. I still need to make one final stop and acquire a wand. It wasn't really essential, since I don't need it, but I still want one. I'll crack those curses right after."
"Aren't they going to be looking for you?" Nagini asked.
"They will, yes, which is why I won't be going to the wand shop here in Paris, but the one in Britain. That one is older anyway and should have more to offer me. They also wouldn't expect me to be there."
Garin was already confident and capable of getting to Diagon Alley without anyone's help. He was truly a cheat existence now.
"So, don't go anywhere. I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?"
The two young ones nodded, looking at the still warm food and cool drinks Garin had placed on the table. With a smile, Garin apparated and left. The journey to England would take a bit longer than the short one that got them to where they were now.