Tanya Degurechaff

Finding oneself reincarnated with memories of a past life is supposedly an uncommon situation. Finding oneself reincarnated twice with the memories of both previous lives makes one question just how common reincarnation really is.

Not that I spend much time dwelling on such pointless philosophical issues when there are far more immediate and pressing concerns. Concerns including the fact I am once again in an orphanage. Thankfully the situation is not nearly as dire as my previous life. The nuns were not much different from my previous experience, but the building was an improvement. A bit drafty in the winter, but electric lights and central, if not efficient, heating was a welcomed improvement.

The food was also a small step up. While not the nearly putrid excess of sausages, the bland fair suited me a bit better. If only I had been born to a country that understood the value of proper seasoning or how to correctly prepare a dish. Both my current and my most recent life have had to deal with an abundance of boiled, bland food. At least this one uses condiments, even if their favorite is vinegar.

On a much brighter side, I was born in a modern nation during a time of relative peace, and if the history I am seeing correlates as well to my first life as it appears, the relative peace will become actual peace in less than a year when the Soviets' Communist nation collapses under the weight of an untenable economic policy.

A life free from war, in a respectable nation was a life I could find satisfaction with. I just needed to find a way to use my advantages to overcome my disadvantage of being an orphan. Two lifetimes of experience has given me enough of a leg up that many around me consider me a prodigy, a genius, a future leader. While I know from experience that I am not any of those things, I also know that perceptions of others is important and that playing the role of a highly gifted individual should enable many doors locked to those in my socio-economic class to be opened.

Before I could fully grasp my future though, I needed to figure out if the magic I had was a hold over from my previous life or if I needed to be concerned that I was not the only magical individual in the world. I could feel the mana flowing through my body and while shaping it into something useful was difficult without an orb, it was not impossible. Reflex and body enhancement in such a crude manner would be unsafe as would any of the combat spells I knew. The only safe spell I could utilize was illusion casting, a speciality that I used to great effect in my last life if I do say so.

A small ball of light in the palm of my hands was all the proof I needed that I still had magic. For now I needed to keep my power secret, until I was sure it was safe to find a way to profit off of it.

—-

It was several months after I first managed to prove to myself that the mana I felt was indeed magic and not a phantom itch that the orphanage had a visitor. A visitor that asked for me by name. The head matriarch of the orphanage stayed for the meeting and the pair made an unusual sight. The head matriarch was an older lady in a nun's habit with a severe demeanor, though I knew she put a lot of effort in keeping the orphanage going. The other woman was far more brightly dressed. I was reminded of the hippy movement that she would have been a child for looking at the woman who introduced herself as Professor Burbage.

"What institute are you a professor at?" The head matriarch asked.

"Before I answer that, I have question for the two of you. Has any unexplained events happened around young Ms Degurechaff? Thing moving around, items seemingly change colors? Anything at all?"

"Are you suggesting magic is real and that is why you are here?" I asked, reading the unspoken message in between her words. The technology to detect magical capacity must be more advanced in this world compared to my previous, despite at initial glance to being as unmagical as my first.

"Yes. I am the Muggle Studies Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"You mean to take Tanya to some special heathen school to learn sorceries?"

"I promise you that we are not a heathen school. We provide the finest magical education available. And Ms Degurechaff has been selected to join our facilities."

"Is there a scholarship to go along with this offer? I would hate for my education to put an unnecessary burden onto the the orphanage that had spent so much time caring for me." It is unwise to leave my scholastic finances in the hands of a financially struggling institute, no matter the intentions.

"As you are an orphan with no living relative to help with the financial costs of your education, your tuition and educational materials will be covered by the orphan fund. Though you will not be allowed to board at the school over the summer breaks and will need to return here."

The matriarch looked at me before nodding her head. "That will not be an issue. Please give us some notice so we can insure a bed is made available for Tanya."

"Now then, Ms Degurechaff, we have your school items to gather up. Here is your acceptance letter and within is a list of supplies we will be getting today."

The envelope I was handed was thick and made out of parchment instead of the more standard paper. Inside was several pages. One was a form letter signed by the Deputy Headmaster. Nothing particularly noteworthy on it. The next was a standardized list for first year students. Looking the list over I saw that our education appeared to be primarily focused on magic and not deal with other subjects much. The mention of a wand was interesting as that appeared to replace the orb of my last life as the magical conduit of choice.

Well, if it can calculate spells, what did I care about what it was called.

—-

Charity Burbage

Every year a number of muggle born or raised students would be selected to join Hogwarts and it was the job of the teachers to collect and introduce the students to the Wizarding World. Most of the effort would typically be placed on the four Heads of House as well as the other teachers of the first year students.

Unfortunately the number of first year teachers capable of doing the task was far fewer than what it appeared on paper to be. Professor McGonagall in addition to being the Head of Gryffindor house was also the Deputy Headmistress and had other responsibilities. Professor Binns was a ghost. Professor Quirrell only recently changed posts to being the Defense Against the Dark Arts and needed time to work on his lesson plan.

Even though Professor Burbage was in a new position as well, taking up Quirrell's former post, she already had her lesson plan ready, having been putting in applications for the position for several years already, and happily volunteered to go into the Muggle world to collect the orphan Tanya Degurechaff and introduce her to the Wizarding World.

The walk to the nearby subway station gave Burbage a chance to look at the latest Muggle creations and fashion. Looking down at her young companion, Burbage noticed Tanya's eyes were scanning the surroundings, her stride was rigid, and she seemed to have a tight control over her young energy.

"We will be taking the Underground to Central London and from there we will go to Diagon Alley, the primary shopping district for the British magical community," Burbage explained to the girl.

"I am not familiar with Diagon Alley…"

"I would imagine not. The Muggle and Wizarding worlds are kept separate on purpose."

"You mentioned Muggle before, that you are the Muggle Studies teacher. What does that mean?"

"Muggle is our term for people without magic. In the Muggle Studies class, we teach students from purely magical backgrounds about what has occurred in the Muggle world and how to blend in."

Tanya's head turned to look at Burbage and her brightly colored sundress and rose tinted glasses with a raised eyebrow.

"I am aware that my outfit is not what the Muggle children of the day may describe as 'hip', but I rather enjoy the Muggle cultural scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Besides, fashion is cyclical and it is coming back in style."

"Right," Tanya said before looking down at her second hand clothes. "Not like I have much room to talk myself."

"The Orphan fund will include a small amount for clothing. It won't be anything special, but it will be in better condition. There is also a little room for a few other extra items, but we will get those last."

Pulling out the equipment list, Tanya looked it over. "How are we to carry all these items? Even if thin, eight books quickly adds up in weight, plus brass scales and a telescope are not the easiest to carry items."

"Our first stop after the bank will be to a second hand luggage shop. We will get your school trunk there and pack up the rest of your items into it as we go."

Tanya nodded as she looked over the list again. "How much of the list can be acquired second hand? And what do I need to have new?"

"The books, telescope, and scale can be gotten second hand without issue. The cauldron and phials we will have to examine closely to ensure they are in good condition before getting second hand. Your robes will need to be new for a few reasons and never trust a second hand pair of protective gloves. And there is only one trustworthy place to get a wand."

Tanya fell silent as she seemed to think on the matter. "How much will all this cost and how much does the Orphan Fund give each year?"

"I can't answer for each year. When you get your letter with the equipment list next year, you will also get a voucher you will use to get the funds you will need to pay for your equipment next year, but this year should be the most expensive.

"Several of the books you are getting should last through your seven years at Hogwarts, the robes should last two years unless you get a big growth spurt and could be tailored a bit to work for an extra year or two depending on how quickly you grow, your wand and other equipment should be good for your entire time unless something goes wrong.

"This year, it should be around fifty Galleons, if my estimation is right."

"I'm sorry, but I thought the British currency was the Pound Sterling. What is a Galleon?"

Burbage reached into her satchel and pulled out a few coins and handed a silver, gold, and copper one to Tanya to look at. "The gold one is a Galleon, the silver is a Sickle, and the copper is a Knut. 29 Knuts to a Sickle, 17 Sickles to a Galleon. And it is about five pounds to a Galleon, depending on the current exchange rate."

Tanya weighed the coins in her hands before returning them to Burbage. "I take it that they are not actually made of those metals because that much gold would be worth much more than five pounds nowadays."

"I don't know how the goblins make the coins, but you are probably right. An ex-boyfriend of mine use to go looking for lost treasure and when he traded the gold coins he found he got several Gallons per coin."

The two continued their trip in silence, Burbage paying for the Subway tickets for the two of them and ignoring the looks some cast the pair's way until they reached a run down looking pub in between two other businesses that most people seemed to ignore as they walked past.

"The Leaky Caudron is the primary entrance from the Muggle World to Diagon Alley, concealed by a charm that prevents Muggles from seeing it," Burbage explained as she lead Tanya into the building. "Hello Tom."

"Ah, Ms Burbage. Good to see you," the old barman responded. "And who is this?"

"A new student, Tanya Degurechaff. Ms Degurechaff will be starting at Hogwarts in the autumn and we are just stopping by to gather her equipment."

"Oh, a student you say? So they finally gave you that job? Good for you."

"Thank you, but I really should not stick around and chit chat."

"Of course, of course. You know the way. And Ms Degurechaff, if you ever need a room to stay, do remember the Leaky Cauldron."

Tanya gave a short bow to Tom. "Thank you Mr Tom. I will be sure to keep it mind."

With that, the pair went through a back door to a small area behind the bar with a brick wall on all sides and a single trash can.

"Pay attention to what I do to open the way into Diagon Alley. Once you have your wand, you will be able to as well. From the rubbish bin, it is three bricks up, and two over. Tap with your wand and…" Burbage allowed the moving of the bricks into a large archway to finish her sentence for her. "Welcome to Diagon Alley."

Tanya's eyes scanned the colorful, busy Alleyway, closer to a street in her opinion of the width of the walkway, before looking up at Burbage, her expression lacking the wonder Burbage was expecting.

"You said we are to go to the bank first, correct?"

"Yes," Burbage said, leading the way to the large marble structure of Gringotts. "Gringotts Bank is the primary financial institute, run by goblins. As long as you follow the rules, there should not be any trouble."

Burbage pointed Tanya towards a large poem written on the entrance of the bank. "Basically, don't steal. Got it."

Tanya made eye contact with the goblin guards standing at the entrance and the guards stared back. A small nod was passed between the three that Burbage missed as she led the young girl inside and got into the queue to see a teller.

Getting to the front of the line, Burbage pulled out a note and a wooden key* that she handed to the teller. After reading the note and looking down at Tanya, the teller directed his gaze back to Burbage. "The child is joining the first year class and needs funds from the Orphanage Funds?"

"Yes," Burbage answered with no hesitation.

"Wait there." The goblin got down from his seat and went to the back with the note and key.

After a few minutes, the goblin returned with a small sack of coins and a form. "You sign here, you here."

Two signatures later the goblin placed the wooden key onto a corner of the form and stamped over it before handing the coins over. "Next!"

Leaving the bank, the two headed down the alley till they got to an older shop full of well used furniture.

"Let's check here first for a trunk," Burbage said as they entered. Looking around they found several options. A couple with paint beginning to flake off, one that had a few questionable stains, and a few in good condition.

Looking them over, Tanya took a deep breath before looking at the person running the shop, squaring her shoulders and trying to look so adult. "How much for this one?" Tanya asked in an adorably firm voice indicating one with a lock.

The clerk gave a smile at the effort to appear adult. "Five galleons."

A sour look crossed Tanya's face even as Burbage was about to pull out the money. "Five galleons? What, does this trunk have some enchantments on it? Maybe something to make or light weight or shrink it down? That is far too much for a plain chest. One galleons and eight sickles."

The clerk's eyes narrowed and a shark like grin spread across her face. Burbage closed her eyes as she saw where this was going.

"One galleon and eight sickles? Why that is robbery. Far too low. You might as well just take my shop too. No that is a finely built trunk with a good lock and the keys are solidly built. Four galleons five sickles."

"Good lock? I could pick that lock easily…"

Burbage tuned out the haggling. She supposed she should have seen something like this coming, the orphanage likely did not have much money and Tanya probably saw the nuns haggle for supplies a few times. Knowing how this was likely going to happen all day and that Tanya was just trying to make the budget go as far as possible, Burbage planned on the non-negotiable items towards the end. The wand and robes had flat costs attached to them.

—-

Several hours of negotiations at multiple shops later Burbage and Tanya had nearly completed the shipping with a significant amount of coinage remaining, the coins now firmly in Tanya's possession as Burbage did not wish to continue ending in the bartering. Now at Madam Malkin's getting measured for her robes, Tanya was able to spend a few moments not arguing over every little detail of the items being purchased. The school robes had a set price, Tanya was told that haggling here would not work, and that the wand shop next would also have a set price for the wand.

Burbage sat next to the trunk that was filled with purchases, taking a moment to relax and reflect on how this must be similar to the feeling her exes felt when she took them shopping. After several minutes enjoying the blissful silence Madam Malkin finished her measurements and asked Tanya to step down and that the finished robes would be owled later.

"So, it is time for the wand?" Tanya asked as Burbage stood up and tapped the trunk with her own wand so it would float behind the two.

"Yes. We will be going to Ollivanders. His shop is about the only reputable store for getting wands. You do not want to be getting your wand second hand because it is rare to find one that is a good match."

"So wands are not a standardized item?"

"If you mean that each one is the same? No. Each wand is different. I don't know all the details, but apparently the wood and core all go into how well they fit with a given user."

Stepping into the dark, dusty store, Tanya's nose scrunched up at the smell before a voice spoke behind the two. "Now who do we hav-"

Tanya's reaction was quick, her spine straightened before her elbow found purchase in the old proprietor of the shop's groin. A moment later, he was flipped onto his back in front of the two ladies.

"Tanya! What in the world was that?" Burbage asked in shock.

Tanya took a deep breath and calmed herself before giving a bow and reaching out to help the old man up. "I apologize. You startled me and I don't know what came over me."

Ollivander gave Tanya a smile as he was helped up. "So I did. Those are some quick reflexes little one. Now tell me, what is the name of my new customer."

"Tanya Degurechaff, sir."

"I will remember that, Ms Degurechaff. Now, I suppose you are here for a wand. Let's see if we can find you a match." Ollivander went to his shelf full of boxes and pulled one down. "Blackthorn, unicorn core, ten and three quarters inches, firm. Give that a wave."

Tanya took a hold of the wand and with a flick a gout of flames came out.

"No. Not that one," Ollivander took the wand away and handed Tanya a different one, the cycle going on for a few minutes until. "Hm, yes. I think I know just the one." Ollivander went to the far side of his counter and pulled a box out from underneath. "Fir. Phoenix feather core. Twelve and a quarter inches. Reasonably springy. Try this one."

Grasping the wand, a small smirk appeared on Tanya's face as she gave it a flick and a stream of sparks came out.

"Yes. That is the wand for you. A somewhat unusual wand." Ollivander's demeanor became serious. "I expect to see some extraordinary things from you. The wand chooses the wizard, or witch in your case. And that wood is the survivor's wood. It is a poor choice for those indecisive and favors those who are focused and strong willed." Ollivander then gave a smile. "But I think you already know that about yourself, hmm? That'll be seven galleons."

After paying the two ladies left the store with Tanya carefully putting her wand away in the trunk. "Tanya, do I need to tell you not to hit the other students while you are at Hogwarts?" Burbage asked giving Tanya a serious look.

"No ma'am. I know I should not have done that, I was just not expecting anyone to appear behind us."

Burbage gave a nod. "Well, I cannot exactly give you detention right now for what you did as you haven't even started school yet, but if you do something like that again, I will be strict with you, understand?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now, you still have some money left and we have time before we need to take you back to the orphanage, so how about we get you some outfits for when you are out of class?"

Tanya gave a simple nod and the two headed towards one of the second hand clothing stores with some nicer options.

—-

* The wooden key is a special one time use key. Certain vaults and accounts have access to special extra features like granting one time passes to the account for a withdrawal, often with limitations. In this case, the Orphan Fund can be accessed by a given orphan seven times for their educational expenses so long as they have one of the single use keys and a note explaining what materials they are meant to purchase. This is not a canon thing, but seems a reasonable detail to add seeing as it adds to the world without just giving anyone a bunch of money for no reason.

** The logic behind the wand: for the core the Unicorn hair would fit the Salaryman the best, but as Tanya has died twice the Phoenix Feather seemed most appropriate. The wide magic range capable of Phoenix and the independent, detached personalities of Phoenix fits well with Tanya as she is an advocate for personal freedom and looks at the world in a slightly detached manner. For the wood: I narrowed it down to Cherry, Yew, Holly, Fir, Red Oak, Elm, and Blackthorn. I knocked Holly and Yew out quickly because of Harry Potter and Voldemort already having the combination and knocked Elm out because the Pureblood plot line that I could follow with that one did not interest me. Next I knocked out Blackthorn because after dealing with combat it supposedly gets better and I didn't want to deal with that thread of plot. Cherry works for Tanya's first life as Japanese Salaryman, but that seemed a bit too obvious. I ended up choosing Fir out of the remaining because surviving with a focused, strong minded, and intimidating demeanor fits Tanya well. For length: Short wands are a sign of something missing in a person's personality while long wands often belong to those with big personalities. 9 - 14 inches is the average range of wands with 11.5 being the middle point. I went with 12.25 because Tanya is a bigger personality than average, but not massively so. For flexibility, Tanya likes being a social chameleon, adapting to new situations so I went with 'reasonably springy' as the descriptor.