Instruction Begins (Kimberly)

Gwen looked as the young woman mentioned blowing things up. "Oh, I doubt that will be a problem today. There are only fun things on the agenda for today. Nothing upsetting.

"Though if it makes you feel better, you are hardly the first witch to blow things up. I destroyed a halibut being served for dinner when my eldest brother mentioned marrying me off to some ancient warlord from east Britannia. Beastly man." Though whether she meant her brother or the lord in question was left out of the conversation. She only smiled pleasantly.

"Your wand will be important. It is the savior of every witch and wizard and once you are united with it..." There was a dreamy look on her face for a moment. "Well, you'll understand when it chooses you. After all, the wand chooses the witch it thinks will serve it best, or so Ollivander always says. And I suppose he would know as he's the one that makes them. Best maker in the isles actually. Everyone wants an Ollivander and you'll have one! How exciting." Gwen said, trying to get the young woman excited about it.

"As much as I would love to rush you down there right now, perhaps we'd best start with clothing while there is still time. While your dresses will likely work for classes, you will still need the formal Hogwarts' cloak for which you must be measured to make certain it fits correctly. And if there is mending or patching to do on your two dresses, I can do that now."

Kimberly was excited to work on learning more from this girl since she seemed as if was cool when he was a child. “Well, sometimes brothers want to do what is best for their sister. He is most likely wanting to look out for you. My brother does not know I can do all this. Most of the time I was lucky and alone when came to doing magic. They might have tried to turn me into the church, not a good idea.” Kimberly did not mind telling her this because not a lie she was ever going to see her family again. There was no way she planned on going back there even once learned to control it. If did they might blame her for leaving her husband with the house burning. Plus who is to say her husband had not moved on and found someone to give him a child. This was the last thing she wanted to see was someone else giving him what she could not.

She smiled seeing the woman in front of her was excited about a wand. Kimberly had not been around magic being muggle did not see the excitement of a stick. That was to her what it was just a piece of wood. “I am looking forward to getting my wand. I know it does not seem like it but maybe it is you just have to be here. The only person I ever saw with a wand was Sir Gryffindor. It looks like just a stick that could cause damage to me. Don’t get me wrong I am looking forward to having my own but also worried. I don’t have anything, and this is costing lots of money. It something will have to be more careful off since not going to just be able to get another one if break it.”

Kimberly looked at the dress she was currently wearing. It looked like it had seen better days already there were a few holes in and the color was starting to fade. She knew needed new ones but that cost money and fixing them herself meant she had to learn to sew like her mother-in-law wanted to teach her. “Okay, let's go work on getting the clothing items that will be needed for Hogwarts’s so what will be the rules on them once there. Do you wear a dress underneath it or would the cloak be like the whole outfit? I know that when sewing things it could take some time so want to give them plenty of time to fix it.” She was a little worried they were going to laugh when seen the clothing she was wearing at moment though

"Oh, I don't doubt that he thought it was in my best interest. He just turned out to be wrong as to what I needed and did not need." Gwen laughed merrily, taking a look around the room for the young woman's other dress. Seeing it hanging up, she walked over and ran her fingers over it. After a moment, she turned back to really study Kimberly with intense scrutiny, as though trying to figure out something that was rather difficult.

When Kimberly asked about the cloak, Gwen finally nodded, relieved that she had brought her small trunk of clothing. Yes, this girl would definitely need some. Both dresses had seen better days and simply would not do. There seemed to be holes in the one she was wearing and it was so threadbare that it was nearly see-through in a few spots.

"Oh, it is just a cloak with the crest of Hogwarts on the back. We will have to find you some dresses in my trunk. You want to look your best, don't you?" Before the young woman could say anything about it, Gwen was moving over to the open case, crouching down beside it in order to begin rooting through in search of the right dresses. "And don't start thinking about cost. These are some of my old dresses that we are going to alter so that it will fit you. Should not take long. I can do it with plenty of time to spare before classes start. We'll just need to have you try them on and pin them to the right size." Gwen assured.

Kimberly would not be the first person to receive her old gowns, after all. With the money from Shelton's estate, she could afford a few new dresses every so often. The old ones never had time to wear out so she simply gave them to those in need. Fortunately, she'd had plenty from the year before Lora was born and since she'd only worn black for the last year and a half...

Gwen looked back up at Kimberly, canting her head to the side as if to consider if any of her nicer black dresses would fit the girl. While black was the color of mourning and tended to be reserved for that, surely it would be better than a threadbare dress that would make the young woman feel inferior to some of the richer students who would hopefully be in attendance. If nothing else, perhaps Lady Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff could magically change the color. How hard could it be, really?

Yes, that was the ticket. She would fit two black dresses and hope that one of her brother's friends could fix it because otherwise, the black would completely wash Kimberly's pale skin out, making her look like someone really had died.

It was short work reaching to the bottom of the chest and pulling out three carefully-folded overdresses that were rather wrinkling and perhaps a bit plain but that was something easily fixed. From somewhere else, she rooted out a dark grey underdress that would likely serve triple duty. However, with the right colors, a bit of trim, and they would do marvelously.

Gwen stood slowly, shaking the three dresses out. They would definitely need to be steamed to get all the wrinkles out but that was something else she was capable of doing for herself. Holding them so Kimberly could see them, she smiled. "I know that they aren't much to look at right now but I give you my word; by the time they are done, you will look quite stunning - even if I have to dye them by hand myself!" Well, more likely, pay someone else to do it as she didn't know how to do such things but she would gladly spare the coin to give Kimberly a boost to her self esteem. Gwen was a firm believer that the right clothes truly made the person.

Kimberly listens to her talking about what the cloak for Hogwarts was to look like and was relieved since that meant that she could get maybe two of them and work on just washing them out by hand every day. It was not going to cost her lots of money. People were already spending money on her that she knew would never get to repay even if became great at magic. “Fine but I will think of a way to repay you at some point. I mean even if they are old dresses, you could have still worn them or even sold them. There was a girl in my old town that would do just that. She wears the dress a few times to fancy events then works on selling them to someone else. Those were some of the prettiest dresses I have ever seen also. They had all the fancy lace and jewel. It would have taken my family 3 years of saving everything own even one of them. “I do want to look my best for sure. I was only allowed to get out with a few dresses when left home because I worried if took longer might be gotten burned or stopped. I don’t mind what they look like.”

Kimberly stayed sitting at the desk looking over the book and listening to Gwen digging through the trunk that she brought saying that would give her some dressed and then get them mended to fit her properly. She was not sure how they would look since it was easy to see Gwen and hear were different sizes. “We making them fit perfectly or using little room to grow in.” Kimberly knew was being embarrassed about her size but had put on a little even if just a few lbs since started staying here in the Tavern. That was because she had been actually eating regular meals unlike when on the roll and might only eat one meal a day if lucky. Now she was getting at least two or three a day so was eating healthier than should be.

She moved to work on standing up to move over and get a closer look at the three dresses that Gwen was holding up. They looked dark but like they would fit her. Kimberly was not sure how you were going to dye black but maybe the magical people had a way that she did not know. “I don’t mind that they are not much. I mean most of my clothes back home were shades of blue so being black is not that far off. I like them.” She went to work on feeling the material loving how soft they were between her fingers. “this is soft love it.”

Whether the young woman would be able to repay her would remain to be seen. It was not something to argue about at this point in time. Gwen had dealt with enough women in Kimberly's position to know how to arrange things so it worked out. Nothing wrong with her being proud and wanting to earn her own way. It was a good thing, would serve her well when she got out into the world once she left school for the last time.

"It's unfortunate that you had to flee with so little." Gwen said sadly but forced a smile on her face to reassure her new student. "But good that you made it away safely. At school, you will learn ways to successfully control your magic so you won't have to worry about accidents giving you away. And if you do get caught, there are ways to escape and even survive a pyre that I know will be taught your first year at the school." She informed Kimberly, reaching for her own neck as though to make sure the potion was still there. It was stored in a small locket-looking type necklace that her mother had given her when she'd turned the field into floating dandelions when Gwen had been a child. One could never be too careful.

Once the young woman agreed to have the dresses fitted, complimenting them. "While black would be easiest, it will wash out your skin significantly." Gwen transferred all but one of the overdresses to her arm, holding that one up against Kimberly as though studying her coloring closely. "I think a nice dark blue might be nice against your beautiful hair. And perhaps a soft pink...but it will be difficult to match grey with both of those colors..." She frowned slightly. "The underdress will have to be lightened or I will find a different one that is white. We can leave the third one darker colored - perhaps a burgundy though. Yes, I believe that's the answer. Dark red, pink, and blue - does that sound alright to you?" She asked, not wanting to roll over the girl. If she didn't like those colors, there might be others that suited her better.

"Here, why don't you try on the first one and we'll get to work? Just use the grey underdress for now so I have an idea about the size. Might be a little loose, since I was pregnant when they were first fitted but that's easily modified, leaving room for if you grow a little more."

Kimberly has seen the small smile and understood what she was trying to get at. If she had been able to get away with little more that would have been better. The truth though it would have just made things a lot worse also. Her horse would have more things to carry so it would have just slowed them all down. Ranger was getting older as it was so they had to take more breaks they already wanted. “I not sure what I would have taken other than some more clothes. I did not want anything that would make it easier for me to get caught. If you were to escape the pyre thought would that not just feed into what the others are trying to say we are. If we escape, they will say we are witches and bad. Not everyone is bad though.” She wanted to work on learning all this though. It is easier to just not get caught for sure.
Kimberly frowns little at the thought of pink. It was not that she did not like that color but was more worried about it. Once she was at school what would be the reason that she wore the color. Even back home she did not have anything that was in that color for the simple fact that it got dirty easily. “They are all nice colors. I worried about the pink though. When would it be a great time to wear it. Pink normally is one of those colors that light so if get dirt or something on it everything will show. Already told Sir Gryffindor that while there I would focus on my studies. However, also said that I would spend my free time in the stables helping take care of all the other horses since he allowed me to keep Ranger there. It's part of how going to make means of feeding him by doing the work myself.” The young lady felt as if Gwen would want her to be truthful with her. If not she could have just taken the dress but never wore it. That is bad though because makes her seem as if she is not grateful for the help she was getting.

She went to take the grey to underdress and moved to work on heading towards the bed to get changed into the new outfit. The witch prayed that Gwen did not catch the fact that her shoulders tensed at the fact that she had been pregnant. Kimberly would have to work on keeping this professional since did not believe friends outside of this would work out when a kid involved. Kimberly had wanted children but they had been the cause of why she was not here and not with a husband that loved her. “That is fine it's better that it loses. I did  not learn much about sewing but know it easier to take something down and make it smaller than the try and make something fit when don’t have the room or fabric.” She worked on moving closer to Gwen again after having switched into the outfit they were trying to fix.

"Oh dear, you're not going to wear these dresses out into the barn. I have other clothing for you to wear for that sort of work!" Gwen said encouragingly. "If you're going to work like Sir Gryffindor does, you're going to want trousers, an old shirt, and definitely a jerkin of some sort. Depending on what house you're sorted into, we can always get you one with your house crest on it. If you're going to belong somewhere, you want to wear your crest with pride!

"Besides, there are house elfs to do laundry. They will clean your clothing so don't worry about it getting so dirty. But if you're still not sure of the pink..." Now that she was dressed, Gwen ran a well practiced eye over the girl, trying to think of what colors would suit her. A lighter burgundy might be better to bring out the eyes and not wash out the fair complexion. The blue would be most appealing. If the girl was hunting for a husband, the right blue dress would certainly lure him in with eyes like those to perfectly complement them. But what else...?

"Grey - yes...a soft, dove grey with a white underdress. Perfect, I think. And that's easily enough dyed, if done correctly." Gwen was giddy now that she'd figured it out. Maybe grey was dull for most people but with the right trim, it could truly make the skin glow and the eyes sparkle.

"And yes, it's much easier to take in. I won't make it form fitting. With a few months of food, you may fill in a bit more. I doubt you want to have to do this again so soon." With the pins in hand, Gwen knelt down at the girl's side to begin taking in and letting out where appropriate. It was a matter of fitting and then how it would look best on Kimberly. No reason to go around looking like she was in a shroud. It was a new school, a new start and that meant looking one's best.

It took them nearly a half an hour to perfectly fit all three of the dresses. When it was done, Gwen carefully packed them away in her trunk to be sewn during her endless days to come. It was almost a blessing to have something to do other than care for her daughter after months of doing nothing but that. And she did like sewing when she had a purpose for doing so. Embroidery wasn't her thing but actually being useful, that was what she enjoyed.

"Now then, I believe we are done there so all that's left is your wand and your cloak. Our time has passed quickly so we will likely only be able to do one today. I believe the wand to be the more important errand but I will let you choose which you prefer."

Kimberly was grateful that there was someone else that was going to help do the laundry. That was one of the jobs that she had to do back home that took forever. Saturday had been the day that she go down to the local area and wash all of their clothes. It was the longest day of the week but she wanted to make sure her family had the best for Sundays. “I glad to have helped out with eh laundry stuff. The house-elves already seem like a blessing when comes to helping with things. I do plan on working. I don’t have the money to pay to keep Ranger there. I will be happy to wear the crest of every house I am put into. It's nice to know that there at least a place where I belong and people that will help me learn everything that I need about magic.”

“Thank you, Lady Moore, this is more help than I ever imagined. I will do my hardest to make both Lord Gryffindor and you proud. I think the colors for the dress are all wonderful.” Kimberly wanted also to admit that she was not sure pink would work since most of the time that was seen on those that were higher up and made a name for themselves. She did not mind the red, blue, and grays. Color also made people towards you. She always back home wanted one of those types of dresses but knew that it was not worth it. “It is easier to always take things in than out. Kimberly stood there quietly after that letting her work on taking on the measurements perfectly. This was going to look great and since was not worried about marriage or children she could learn to be herself. Kimberly was going to work on learning how to become the person she wanted to be.

“I agree with you that the wand is the most important thing to work on getting. As said I did not have problems with the fact that not having a proper coat. My issue is more the fact that when getting nervous or something else I flip out and start to work on blowing everything up. I have a wand that might feel as if everything is falling more into place.” Kimberly moved to sit down in her chair again wanting to work on thinking about all this though. “How long do we have thought till school starts. I mean getting a wand is something that might take 30 minutes at most. The cloak though I need to get measured for it like you did the dresses. So that could take a few days even weeks if lots of people are needed to get measured for the same thing.”

Gwen listened as Kimberly explained that she would be glad to have help with the laundry. Oh dear, Godric really hadn't explained anything to this poor girl. Being independent was one thing but helping with the laundry, mucking stables, and who knows what else Kimberly intended to do.

"You sweet girl," Gwen sighed at the end when she assumed that the wand would take a short time but the seamstress would take hours. "I know it is hard to accept but you have entered a very different world than the one you have always lived in. We do not do things like the muggles - those with no magic.

"Our housework - the work done at the school such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc - it's all done by the house elfs Lady Hufflepuff brought so that the students didn't have to worry about doing those things while studying to become their very best selves. And that will be the same in a lot of places. But when it comes to the seamstress, it's only a cloak and it will likely take a quarter of an hour, at best. We use magic for the hard stuff to make it easier and faster, which you will come to see in time once you learn to do it too." She reached out and patted Kimberly reassuringly on the shoulder.

"Your wand, on the other hand, may be a trickier sort of fish. Sometimes they are a bit picky who they chose. I know a friend of mine who spent three hours trying to find the right one! I think it's because the wandmaker didn't have the right wand for her is all because she didn't actually get one until she finally went to Ollivander. Which I had advised right from the start but her mother was so certain that Shelley's wands were better." Gwen made a dismissive sound in the back of her throat. "Shelley! The man is a crackpot who's wands chip and are notoriously fickle. But Ollivander, he dips from a wide enough source pool..." Gwen realized she was off on a tangent, stopping with a laugh.

"Of course, you don't want to hear all of this. Perhaps the cloak would be a better choice for the time we have remaining. I'm sure Grunda won't mind us popping in quick for a trice. And then we'll have you back for your next shift!"

Kimberly set there listening to everything that Gwen was saying about house-elves and realizing that she was correct. There were going to be lots of things she was going to have to work on understanding once made it to the school. How is getting a wand hard but getting a cloak mended easy? This information that she was being given along with learning to read and write was a lot going on in her mind. Plus still working here to pay for all this was making her brain hurt a little from everything. “I mean it not that don’t want to hear it since will need to learn it all at some point. Don’t want to go into to much detail and get overwhelmed. I think that it might be best to get the cloak now. I mean if by some chance that it not ready I can go back and pick it up when I am not working.”

The lady knew that she would have to get back to work soon. “I only ever seen wands from Lord Gryfindor and yours. I don’t know the difference between the two different people. In honest I did not even know that wants were this high maintenance that you would have to have one just for you. When you would have to pick out a wand my idea was that we would just go in and say that one looks pretty let me use this to help control what I was doing. Never thought that it would matter which one I had. So yes we can do the wand a different day since don’t know how long it going to take.”