A/N: Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry February Event The New Year Zodiac Writing Challenge (Tiger, prompt #2: Write about Lily Potter. Include 'wood' in your story.)
WC: 550
Lily walked down Diagon Alley with her parents. They had just exchanged some of their money for wizarding coins at the bank, where the young witch had gotten her first look at goblins. If she were honest with herself, she found them a bit scary.
Still, Lily was fascinated by the new world she'd been invited into. As they strolled past the shops, the Muggle-born looked at the owls in their cages (the school letter said she could take one with her, but she wasn't sure if her parents would let her buy one), smelled the food coming from the various eateries, and listened to her fellow witches and wizards discussing things she knew nothing about (like Quidditch, whatever that was).
The professor who had brought the letter to her house to explain to Lily and her parents about the wizarding world had advised that the family buy Lily's wand first. So it was no surprise to the girl when her parents immediately steered her towards a shop named Ollivanders, which showcased a variety of wands in its windows.
"Why don't you go with Lily to pick out the wand while I head over to the bookstore?" suggested Lily's father to her mother.
"Okay" said Lily's mother, taking her daughter by the hand and leading her into the shop.
Behind the counter stood a man. "Ah, another fresh face for Hogwarts, I take it?" he said.
Lily's mother smiled. "Yes" she said. "Although we're a bit new to all of this, I must admit."
"Not to worry" said the man. "We'll have your girl fixed up with the right wand before she leaves." Then, turning to Lily, he smiled. "Let's start by taking some measurements" he said.
From a shelf on the wall, the man pulled out a measuring tape. He measured the length of Lily's, the length from her head to her toes, the size of her head… Just when the redhead thought the process was never going to stop, the man put away his measuring tape.
"Okay, now let's try a few" he said. "And keep in mind, it's the wand that chooses the witch, not the other way around."
Pulling down a box from the wall, he said "Ash, 9 ¾ inches, with a phoenix core." He opened the box and handed the wand to Lily.
The girl gave the wand a gentle wave. Nothing seemed to happen.
"Nope, not the once for you" said the man. "Let's try a different wood. In fact, let's change things up altogether."
Handing another box to Lily, the man said "Willow, 10 ¼ inches long, with a dragon heartstring core."
Lily took the wand from him. Immediately she felt a surge of power flow through her.
The man smiled. "Yes, that seems to be the one" he said. "It should serve you well for working charms." Then, he turned back to Lily's mother. "That'll be seven Galleons" he said to her.
"Right" said Lily's mother, taking seven of the gold coins out of her bag. She paid the man, then turned to her daughter and said "Say thank you Lily."
"Thank you, sir" said Lily. Then, she turned to lead the way out of the shop. As she did, she said to her mother "Mum, can I have an owl?"