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Needle in the Haystack: Down in the Sinai
From the shop came a fearsome noise that awoke Mr. Ollivander and most of Diagon Alley. It was a horrible scream that made the walls of the store tremble and the glass windows splinter.
Grabbing his wand, the owner fumbled out of bed and down the stairs, hoping to catch the intruder that set off the Presence Detectors.
Wand aimed high, Mr. Ollivander pointed into dark space. There was a faint breeze and the curtains fluttered.
The blaring of the alarm stopped, to Ollivander's relief. He switched on the lights.
Crates and boxes of wands had been overturned, and piles of them were scattered on the floor, all giving off violently colored sparks. The anxious owner began sorting out his merchandise. He would not answer any questions from the Prophet reporters until everything was accounted for.
Five hours later, Mr. Ollivander had come to the conclusion that not a single wand was stolen. The press was grumbling that Mr. Ollivander's Presence Detectors were sorely out-of-date.
Convinced, Mr. Ollivander apologized to all of Diagon Alley, and attempted to update his alarm system.
* * *
Dear Minerva,
How are you? Still staying at Hogwarts over the summer? Why don't you come visit me here in Egypt for about a month. Truth to say, I need your help.
Do you remember the story Mum used to read to us about the first wand ever? It's not just a story. It's based on real facts. And I'm going to try and find that wand. I'll explain more when you come. Because you ARE coming. I've got plans for one exciting summer.
Your cousin,
Fiona Emherst
P. S. Bring along a couple of colleagues if you wish. The more brains on the "project," the better.
P.P.S. Pack Muggle clothes.
P.P.P.S. You ARE coming.
Minerva McGonagall scowled, shaking her head. It was just like Fiona, to start out on a wild goose chase. An ancient wand indeed! Five thousand-year old wands did not sit around in perfect condition, waiting to be found and used.
However, the thought of Egypt intrigued her. Ever since Fiona had moved there to start her own wand store, she had badgered Minerva endlessly for a visit. Maybe now was the time.
Collecting the letter, McGonagall headed for Dumbledore's office.
* * *
One week later.
"Juniper, are you ready? Gunther's already in my office." Minerva said, watching Sprout scribble final notes on a sheet of parchment.
"Wait, almost. There, done." Putting down her quill with a flourish, Sprout placed the parchment inside a box, where there were already a dozen sheets. "I've left instructions for Hagrid on the care of my plants. I hope he doesn't find the work too hard."
She gave Minerva a quizzical look. "Did Fiona tell you anything more about the "project?"
"No. I've sent her three owls, but all she says is to wait until we're there. It's about the first wand, that's all I know."
"Do you believe her?"
McGonagall sighed exasperatedly. "Of course not. I'm going to treat this coming month as a break. I need one, after all these years."
"It was awfully nice to let us come along. I won't have to get mandrakes shipped by owl. Last time, the whole package fell on an old Muggle policeman. The Ministry was busy for weeks and I had to pay a fine for 'Improper Use of Owls.' They said I should have used a bigger one. And Gunther's wild about the curses on the pyramids."
"You should thank Fiona. She insisted on me bringing two others…"
Chatting eagerly, the two witches made their way up to McGonagall's office.
"Incendio." Flitwick's spell immediately lit up a fire in the hearth. "Who's going first?"
"I will." Minerva reached into a small sack and collected a handful of Floo Powder.
"Strange. It's pink." Commented Sprout.
"It's international Floo Powder!" Flitwick informed her. "Dumbledore had to get special permission from the Ministry."
"Cozy Niche!" McGonagall cried, throwing in the powder and stepping into the pink flames with her trunk.
The ride was nothing like typical Floo Powder traveling. Instead of spinning, Minerva could feel a kind of strange lopsided jerking, back and forth and diagonally. Everything seemed to go slowly. Through the kaleidoscope of fireplaces she could hear clips of many foreign languages, all talking very fast. A rosy mist hovered over everything, and for one moment there was a roaring of water in her ears. Her trunk bumped against her side, threatening to fall out of her grasp. Whump. She landed without warning in a fireplace.
"What a ride." She muttered, brushing off the ash off her robes as best as she could. Quickly dragging her trunk away from the fireplace, she noticed a shining brass plaque on the mantelpiece labeled "Cozy Niche." But where was Fiona? Perhaps—
"Minerva!" A tall figure hurtled towards her and hugged her affectionately, knocking the breath out of her. "You're here!"
"Fiona! Nice to see you—I—d" McGonagall choked out, massaging her ribs after the viselike grip of her cousin.
Whump. Whump. Two crashes brought Gunther and Sprout into the living room.
Juniper Sprout shook her head, slightly dizzy from the wild journey. Sprout shook hands with Fiona, a cheerful looking witch in her thirties, tanned and with hazel eyes. Her auburn hair was cut extremely short, and she wore casual robes of white.
Introductions were made all around, and Fiona reached behind her for a bowl of Muggle candy. "Would anyone like some Skittles? They're really good."
* * *
"So, what's this about the first wand?" Sprout asked casually that evening, after a delicious dinner of salmon and rice. (Fiona was an excellent chef.)
Fiona shrugged. "I did some research on it, and decided, what the heck, may as well try to find it."
Grinning at their surprised looks, she produced a single piece of parchment. "Read."
The First Wand
In 4,333 BC, the first magical wand ever made in history was created. The inventor, Ment-Ali-Dis-A-Bled, who lived near present-day Cairo, enchanted a strong laurel branch with runes, then doused it with a powerful herbal potion. At the time, the only means of magic existed with wandless spells (there were very few), potions, or magical herbs. Wands immediately became very popular, and new spells began to develop at a startling rate. Since then, several substances have been tested for wands, including glass and stone. Wood is almost always preferred because it conducts magical currents better.
However, Ment-Ali-Dis-A-Bled knew that his wand was very powerful. To avoid trouble, he hid it away. To this day, no one knows where it is. Several wizards and witches have attempted this search, and to our knowledge none has gotten close. Some characteristics that make this wand the most powerful ever include an unbreakable charm on its durability. This means that it can never be snapped, frayed, or splintered. Also, no matter which way you point it; the wand's tip will always be turned away from you, so that you can never curse yourself by accident.
History tells us this much, but many families are skeptical of this story. Since all this happened over 5,000 years ago, some wizards regard this as purely a myth to entertain the young. We have very few pieces of solid evidence to prove the wand's existence, and most of our knowledge comes from inferences or educated guesses; another reason why only a few have attempted to find this wand.
"Binns taught us a bit about this in my third year." Gunther said slowly. "A wonder I can actually remember."
"If Binns can teach it, it's got to be real." Fiona jabbered excitedly. "It's--"
"Where do you plan to start?" Minerva interrupted, scowling. "This is nonsense. If it exists, and if we find it, it would have deteriorated by now." She looked hard at her cousin, and found her smirking triumphantly.
"If you hid a treasure, wouldn't you tell someone where it is? Most likely your son or daughter, to be passed down and down in the family."
"Well--"
"I found a poem the other day, written by a man named Jahu-A-Bled. He wrote it two months before his death. He used to own a wand store."
She was interrupted by a sound from the fireplace. Two seconds later, a disheveled woman ran into the room.
"Fiona! Your store! It's been robbed!"
We hope you enjoyed this short part. Things will get more exciting in the next part. This is the sequel to "Dragon Scales." So read it! Review and criticize.
~Jeli
