Chapter Text
Homura had lost count of how many times she’d gone back. She didn’t know how many this time made. She opened her eyes and froze. This wasn’t the hospital room she’d awoken in so many times. No, this seemed to be a hotel room. She became aware of something in her shield. She had something of a sixth sense for everything in her pocket dimension, as such a sense was required in order to take out what she needed. She transformed, and reached into her shield for the foreign object. She took it out, and it was revealed to be a small stack of paper. Her eyes settled on the first line.
‘Hello, Homura Akemi!
I am not with the incubators, please do not rip up this letter. I apologize for pulling you off course. I didn’t mean to take you specifically, I just reached out for someone, and you were brought here. Now, I’m sure you have many questions, and I will endeavor to answer all of them. Also, do not worry, once your task is complete you will be returned to your dimension. You may have noticed that something seems off about the writing in this letter. That is because I have magically given you the ability to speak, read, and write in English. You merely need the intent to speak it.’
The letter went on to explain that she was here to help defeat some asshole who called himself Voldemort. (While Homura would generally respect people's chosen names, she got the impression that he was just trying to sound impressive.) The letter said that her identification had already been set up and that the letter would include a cover story. The letter also explained the basics. The room she was in was a place called The Leaky Cauldron, which was part of the wixen world. She had money waiting for her in the wixen bank, more than enough to cover her school days in this world, although she likely wouldn’t be here past her school days. She had not, however, been provided Grief Seeds, as the ambient magic of this world would naturally recharge her soul gem. As long as she didn’t completely overdo it, she’d be fine, and considering how much stamina she had from all her practice, it would be very hard for her to overdo it. The rest of the letter just covered some basic things she needed to know about the wixen world, as well as her letter for the school she would be attending. Homura finished reading the letter and sighed. Well, look for the silver lining. She really needed a break from the loops lest she go insane.
– - –
Homura detransformed, finding herself in her school uniform. Not ideal, but not as bad as it could be. At least she wasn’t in her hospital pajamas. She resolved that after the bank, her first stop would be clothing that would let her blend in. Her cover story was simple, being basically the same as back home. She was a muggleborn who lived alone due to her parents constantly being away on business trips. The only difference between here and home was the muggleborn detail. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the room, and started making her way downstairs. As the letter advised, she went up to the barman to ask for help in getting into the magic alley.
“Hello, sir? I don’t have a wand yet and I need to get into Diagon Alley.”
“Oh, no need for the sir, missy. And sure, I’ve helped plenty of people get into the Alley! And not all muggleborns without wands, either! You wouldn’t believe the number of people who get their wands broken in the muggle world and have to ask for help! A piece of advice for you, don’t keep your wand in your pocket! It’s a sure way to fall over and break it.” Homura nodded, following the man.
“I will endeavor to avoid breaking my wand once I get it. And I will try to avoid keeping it in my pocket.”
“They sell wand holsters, y’know. Some can be a wee bit on the expensive side, but even a cheap one is better than keeping it in your pocket!”
“I will look for one after I buy my wand.”
“Smart girl. Well, here we are!” He tapped his wand against the brick wall, and it seemed to unfold, revealing a bustling street full of people and magic. She didn’t quite outwardly react, most of her reaction being curiosity rather than awe.
“Thank you for your help.” She said with a head nod.
“Oh, you’re welcome. Have a good time!” And with that, Homura stepped into Diagon Alley.
– - –
Obviously her first stop was the bank, in order to get money for everything else. Then clothing, so she could blend in. After that, she didn’t particularly care what order she did things in. Then she realized that she had no clue where the bank was. As much as she hated it, she had to ask someone for help. She felt like she was a kid again as she searched for someone who appeared to be a mom with her kids, remembering advice from so long ago about how if she ever got lost she should look for a mom. (Despite technically being fourteen, it had been a very long time since she’d felt like a kid. Kyubey purposefully picked girls in their early teens, but when that was added together with the time loop…)
“Hello ma’am? I can’t find the bank and I’m supposed to meet my parents there. Can you please give me directions?” She said, trying for a polite tone of voice. Thankfully, the woman smiled at her, nodding.
“Of course sweetie. If you’re sure you don’t need me to bring you there, it’s that way. You’re a muggleborn, right? It’s down roughly a block or two.” Homura gave the woman a (mostly) fake smile.
“Thank you very much!” She tried to add a childlike pep to her voice, but she wasn’t sure if she succeeded. She took off before the woman could question her anymore.
– - –
“Hello, sir. My name is Homura Akemi, and I’m hoping to access my vault.” the creature looked up at her.
“Do you have your key?” they said, looking very done. Homura could relate.
“Yes, sir.” She said, pulling it out of the pocket she’d sewn into her skirt. She never knew when she might need something but couldn’t access her shield due to being in public. For example, her wallet. “If you don’t mind me asking, is there a way I can have a bag linked to my account? I am new to this world and I don’t know the average cost of things.”
“Yes. For a price.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
– - –
Homura walked happily out of the bank with her new bag. She was the only one who could reach inside it, and it would respond to how much money she wanted to take out, much like her shield. She realized after a moment that her first stop should actually be trying to find a goddamn map of the alley. Thankfully, she could see a bookstore, so she headed there. She would actually buy her books later, she just needed a map for now.
“Excuse me? I was wondering if it would be possible to purchase some sort of map of Diagon Alley?” She asked the person at the desk.
“Ah, I’m afraid such a thing doesn’t exist. Apologies.” Homura was…unhappy, but she pushed that down real quick. (Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew doing that was unhealthy, but it’d gotten her this far.)
“That’s ok. I’m a muggleborn, so I’m unfamiliar with the area, but I suppose I’ll figure it out.”
“That’s the spirit!” She resisted the urge to glare.
– - –
She’d eventually had to ask someone, but she’d eventually found the clothing store. For some god-forsaken reason, the store with uniforms and slightly fancy clothing was separate from the casual clothing store, but she pushed through. She bought a trunk with two compartments. It might have been a slight waste of money, but she figured it would make sense to have one with her clothes and one for books and school supplies. Speaking of, she bought what might have been a frankly ridiculous number of books, and what was maybe slightly too many school supplies. She also bought a messenger bag, as she couldn’t exactly store things in her shield if she wanted them in class.
– - –
Homura’s wand: Pine wood, with a core of thestral tail hair and phoenix feather