Hi anyone out there reading this! This is my challenge to myself for July's Camp Nanowrimo (ask me in the review if you're curious what that is!): to put the Bladebreakers et al into Hogwarts and have some fun. So hopefully I'll be producing one chapter of about 1000 words per day. (This one is slightly under, bother.)

Anyone's who's read my writing before knows that although I will always be having fun, the characters often will not.

Enjoy!

"Are you ready, Ray?" Professor Dickenson smiled and smoothed down his silver-edged robes.

Ray nodded several more times than was necessary and stopped himself with an annoyed shake. He was full of the sort of aimless, ratchetted tension which comes with not quite knowing when you're excited or nervous. This was going to be his first trip ever to Diagon Alley. Even though his letter had arrived nearly a week ago, he saw this trip as really being his first proper step into Hogwarts. At last.

"Got your list?" He nodded again but plunged his hand into the pocket of his robes to check. Yes, the parchment was still there, folded meticulously in half. He didn't need to get everything on it, since under the Headmaster's advice he had stuck an ad up in Three Broomsticks and bought a cloak of a reasonable fit and a copies of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, and Magical Drafts and Potions from Hogwarts students.

(Other Hogwarts students. Like he was. Well, nearly.)

Everything else needed to be bought in Diagon Alley, and Professor Dickenson had been determined that Ray get the "full experience". He did have a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them too, but it was only the forty-eighth edition, nearly ten years out of date, and so he was tempted to get a new one. Anyway, so he was on his way to buy everything he needed and he was nearly at the fireplace and the Headmaster just wouldn't stop fussing!

"I hope you have your money!"

Ray rolled his eyes. "Yes sir, it's here!" He held it up and shook it to savour the heavy jingle. He'd pretty much been doing that on and off since the professor had handed him it a day ago. It was the usual hardship fund Hogwarts provided to students who couldn't cover the costs of everything for the year themselves. It was also more money than Ray had ever seen on one person in his whole life before this, so he wasn't feeling too guilty about his new obsession. With one last good shake of the coin purse for luck, he stepped into the fireplace and took a handful of Floo Powder from the pot Professor Dickenson offered.

"That's it, my boy. Now remember, speak - "

… clearly, Ray finished his head. Out loud he drowned out the headmaster's final words by shouting as clearly as he possibly could,

"Diagon Alley!"

The Floor journey went well. H e ended up where he was supposed to, and if he had landed a bit awkwardly and bruised his elbow, well, no-one knew but him and the not that surprised stockist in Florean's ice-cream parlour. The tall witch had just said,

"Oh, hello there. Professor Dickenson's lad?" and given him a free ice-cream. So a fantastic start, all in all. He'd then spent way too long in the second-hand robes shop getting measured for the closest fit hat and work robes that they had in stock. That tape measure was felt somehow sleazy.

Halfway up Diagon Alley, heading patiently for the cauldron shop, he realised that doing things in the order they were written on his list wasn't necessarily the most sensible, and that he should probably have checked a map. Oh well.

An hour later, he arrived, puffing and panting, at Ollivander's. His arms were leaden from lugging around his cauldron stuffed full of second-hand textbooks, and he still couldn't decide between getting a cat or getting one of the owls with the cute tufty ears, but this was where he had most wanted to come.

A wand.

Twitching again with nervous tension, he pushed open the door.

"Good afternoon, Mr Kon. Professor Dickenson told me to expect you today."

The first thought Ray had when he took wand number one from Olivander's hand was – this isn't a proper wand. It was too smooth, polished and perfect. Thirteen inches of glossy alder wood surrounding a unicorn hair core. Nothing like Master Tao's wands back home: uneven strips of whichever local trees had the most Bowtruckles on that year (guelder-rose when he'd left) bound around whatever object with magical associations that the would-be wielder wished.

He spun it around his fingers mindlessly as he remembered home. The wand, perhaps feeling neglcted, let out an ominous creak. Olivander snatched it away and replaced it with another.

"Ten inches, fir and unicorn hair."

Ray gave it a swish. It vibrated gently in his hand. He looked hopefully up at Olivander, who frowned and shook his head.

"Almost, Mr Kon. Here."

This was the same wand but with dragon heartsring. It lay utterly inert.

"Fine," Olivander muttered to himself, "definitely the correct core …"

The next wand was chestnut and unicorn hair. Again that one reacted a little, but not quite enough for Olivander. He got up and, muttering to himself, went to the next shelf over, and handed the resultant wand to Ray without a word.

The second Ray's hand closed around it, he knew this was the one. Adrenalin raced through him and he barely noticed the sparks shooting out of its tip. Master Tao had spoken of this, the bond that was forged when the perfect wand and wizard met.

(Ray thought, uncharitably, that it was probably easier to make perfect wands with Olivander's tools and know-how than with Master Tao's.)

"Well, well. Ten inch black walnut, rigid, with a unicorn hair core. Well, well." He regarded Ray for several uncomfortable seconds, then waved him out of the shop. "Trust yourself, Mr Kon," he said as Ray opened the door, so softly that at first Ray thought he was hearing things. "Trust your judgement most ardently."

All opinions very welcome!

xIlbx

PS: google pottermore wand woods and check out Ray's choice. Predict the others'!