Of Wandlore and Female Best Friends
Various moments throughout Hugo's years at Hogwarts that focus on the two loves of his life: wandlore and Viola Finch-Fletchley. Written for the Ready...Set...Write! Challenge by Reilly Jade in the HPFC.
Pre-Hogwarts
"Hugo Weasley," Mr. Ollivander said when he and his family walked through the door to the wand shop. "I've been looking forward to this day since your sister got her wand."
Hugo blushed, remembering two years ago when Rose was here. He'd snatched up one of the wands and declared all of its properties before Mr. Ollivander had a chance to. Since he was correct (except for being a quarter inch short on the length), the elderly man had Hugo examine all the wands that Rose was given to try, which was a lot. They had to have gone through the whole shop before Rose found the wand that was right for her.
"Hello, my dear," he greeted Rose, who blushed. "A flexible wand made of hazel and dragon heartstring, nine and a half inches."
"Yes sir," Rose replied, bobbing her head up and down.
The elderly man smiled and turned back to Hugo. "Now, we could do this the normal way, but...how about you pick one out?"
Hugo's eyes widened. "Me? Pick out a wand?"
"To try, of course," Mr. Ollivander amended. "The wand chooses the wizard."
"A...Alright, then," he said.
Carefully, the boy made his way behind the glass counter and looked at the shelves and shelves of narrow boxes, each housing a unique wand that was waiting for its wizard. He bit his lips and closed his eyes, focusing on the various whispering voices of the wands that surrounded him. Then he heard the one calling his name. Eyes opening, he took a few steps to his right and looked up, stretching up to his tip toes to reach the box.
He stepped back out into the main area of the shop, all eyes on him.
"Walnut," he said when he removed the lid. "Twelve and a quarter inches." He raised the box to his ear. "Unicorn hair." He set the box down on the glass counter and took the wand in his hand. "Swishy."
Ollivander nodded, silver eyes alight.
Hugo knew that he should give the wand a try to see if it was truly meant for him. As he raised the wand slowly, he thought back to two years ago when Rose tried her wand and she actually cast her first spell, the Hover Charm. He felt he could do something flashy like that, but he could feel from the wand that he didn't need to. This wand wasn't a show off.
So he just gave the wand a wave, and when the tip emitted some gold sparks, he felt like he'd made a new best friend.
Year One
"Weasley, Hugo!" Professor Wickliff called.
He was the second to last student waiting to be Sorted. The other was a girl with tanned skin and black hair pulled into a French braid. She gave him a dirty look and he walked up to the stool and the Hat.
Before sitting on the stool, he turned and looked out at the Great Hall, easily picking out his various family members. Freddie, Lucy, James, Roxy, and Lily all smiled at him from the Gryffindor table. At the Ravenclaw table he saw Dominique, Louis, and his sister Rose. And lastly he noticed Albus at the Slytherin table with his friend Scorpius silently telling him to calm down.
Hugo took a deep breath and sat down on the stool, then Professor Wickliff set the Hat on his head.
"Bah!" it exclaimed in his head, making him jump slightly. "Yet another Weasley."
"I-I'm the last one," Hugo replied.
"Yes, well, you also seem to be the most difficult one," it said musingly. "A quick mind and unwavering faith. What's this? A bit of hidden bravery too? Let's see, Slytherin's not an option for you."
He heaved a small sight of relief. Although he didn't really mind Slytherin, and he would've had fun being in a House with Albus, he didn't want to be there.
"Aha!" it said suddenly, startling Hugo again. "I know exactly where you should be!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Hat shouted to the hall.
Hugo felt the Hat be removed from his head as he numbly walked toward the cheering Hufflepuff table. Hufflepuff? James said they were "a lot of ol' duffers." Plus they had a really bad Quidditch team.
But why do you care about that? he chided himself. You hate Quidditch.
And besides, James was often wrong. He thought Slytherin was full of evil people until Albus was Sorted there. So he could be wrong about Hufflepuff too. Teddy's mum was an Auror who was part of the Order of the Phoenix, and she was in Hufflepuff. Mrs. Longbottom and Cedric Diggory were also in Hufflepuff.
"Hello," said the girl who was sitting beside him. "I'm Viola Finch-Fletchley, and this is my twin brother Sebastian."
She gestured across the table at a boy with curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. He smiled through a mouthful of food.
"We're second years. If you need any help, feel free to ask us," she said earnestly.
Viola looked exactly like her brother, except her curly hair was really long. She had a kind smile, and he smiled back, glad that he had a friend. And he thought to himself, maybe Hufflepuff wouldn't be so bad after all.
Year Two
"Who are you taking to Teddy and Victoire's wedding?" Rose asked Hugo.
He drowsily raised his head from the table and scrunched his nose up with confusion. "I have to take someone?"
Rose giggled at his sleepy state. "You don't have to, but don't you think it would be nice to have a friend?"
"Well, who are you taking?" he challenged.
"Scorpius," she replied simply.
He raised his eyebrows. "You finally forgave him?"
Rose gaped, evidently offended. "He betrayed me, Hugo! I obviously wasn't going to get over it very quickly!"
"Oh, whatever, I'm just glad you two are friends again. Makes it easier on Albus," Hugo said. "Who's he taking?"
"Briony Kendrick," she replied, referring to the red headed Slytherin girl in their year.
"I can take Lily!" he declared, feeling relieved at the quite simple explanation for this problem.
"You can't take family, that's cheating," Rose chastised. "And besides, she's taking Mason Cordell."
"Oh," he mused, nodding. He should've figured they would be going together. She and Mason were best friends and nearly inseperable, despite being her being in Gryffindor and him being in Slytherin. Plus the fact that he was deaf; but she'd learned how to sign last year, so it wasn't a big deal anymore.
"How about Maggie?" he asked, feeling proud of himself. Magdalena (Maggie for short) was Lorcan and Lysander's little sister, and she was in his year. She was practically family, so things wouldn't be awkward, but she wasn't, so he wouldn't be "cheating."
"They can't make it," she replied. "Otherwise Lucy would be going with Lysander."
"Then who is she going with?" he inquired.
"Rex Hadley," she replied.
He sighed, and then decided, "I'll go stag."
Rose rolled her eyes. "That's just pathetic."
"Oh come off it, I can't be the only one without a date!" he exclaimed.
"Sad as it may be, you are," she said simply. "Dominique is coming with her French boyfriend, Jacques, I think. Molly's band is letting her take a break from the tour, so she'll be coming with Daniel...something. Freddie's taking Helen Afton, Roxy's going with Rex Jordan, Louis' taking Kestrel Marsland, and James is taking Tessa Wood."
"Tessa Wood?" he repeated, looking confused. "I thought they hated each other."
"Oh, Hugo," Rose said, shaking her head. "You're so naive."
He frowned. "Is Keegan going?" he asked, referring to Rose's best friend. Keegan had been living with them for two years now since her mother (her only family) went missing.
"Yes, and she's taking Dyson Boot," she answered.
Hugo groaned and put his head on the table. "I'm not going."
"You can't not go, it's Teddy and Victoire!" Rose exclaimed angrily. Then, calming herself, she suggested gently, "How about a girl in your year?"
"I don't like anyone in my year 'cept Maggie and Lily," he whined.
She rolled her eyes. "What about Lily's friends? Birdie Finnigan and Adele Thomas? Oh! Dyson's sister Lindsey is a nice girl!"
Hugo shook his head. "I don't know any of them."
Rose drummed her fingers on the desk, and then an idea struck her. She smiled mischievously. "How about Viola?"
He raised his head and pushed his eyebrows together. "Viola?"
She nodded encouragingly.
"Oh, right! Of course!" he exclaimed, jumping up from the bench and ran out of the Great Hall to the Hufflepuff common room.
"Hey Vi?" he asked when he burst into the common room.
The pretty third year looked up at him, confused. "Yes?"
"D'you want to go to my cousin's wedding with me this summer?" He bit his lip anxiously, hoping she'd be able to.
She smiled. "I'd love to."
Year Three
Hugo sat in his favorite arm chair in the Hufflepuff common room, transfiguring various objects into birds using Avifors. Nobody dared to disturb him because they'd learned that he only did this when he was in a bad mood. And Hugo in a bad mood was not a fun thing to deal with.
Viola, however, wasn't scared. She trotted over to him and sat in the chair opposite his.
"C'mon, Hugo, out with it," she said.
He glared at her and turned a rock into a bird.
"Silent treatment, eh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's fine. But Rose is worried about you. She said that you and your family were all hanging out in the Three Broomsticks when you got upset and left. Care to explain why?"
He sighed and shook his head. "It's stupid."
"I don't care," she replied. "I just want you to talk to me. That's what best friends are for, right?"
His deep blue eyes were troubled as he stared at the ground. "I'm not special," he murmured.
She blinked. "What?"
"You heard me," he snapped. "I'm not special."
"Sure you are," she said, looking confused. "Why would you think that you're not?"
"Because it's true!" he exclaimed, setting his wand down and sitting up. The birds turned back into their normal forms, falling down to the ground. "I'm not smart like Rose and Lucy, or clever like Albus. Lily, Roxy and James are the stars of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Louis' worshipped like a God! And those are just my family members that are still here. Don't get me started on Teddy, Vic, Molly, Dom, and Freddie. Or my parents - "
"Stop," Viola said firmly, glaring at him. Hugo shut his mouth and glowered back. She reached into her robe pocket and pulled out her wand, holding it to him.
"Go on," she urged. "Tell me about it."
He snatched the wand and turned it over in his hands. "Aspen. Eleven and three quarter inches. Seems pretty good for charms. The core..." He frowned suddenly, and held the wand up to his ear.
"Hippogriff tail hair?" he asked, earning a please nod from Viola. "Where'd you get it?" he asked as he handed the unusual wand back to her.
"Custom from Ollivander," she replied. "It took a lot of convincing, and he wasn't happy about it, but my parents got it made for me. Sebastian has one too."
"It's a brilliant wand," he said, watching as she put it back in her pocket.
"Yes, and you're a brilliant person," she told him. His face darkened and he opened his mouth to protest, but she leaned forward, looking deeply into his eyes. "The only person I know who would've been able to do that with a wand is Ollivander. Seems pretty special to me."
She squeezed his shoulder and departed to her dormitory, leaving him to wonder.
Year Four
"D'you know why they call it the Shrieking Shack?" Hugo asked Viola.
She shook her head, causing some snow to dislodge itself from her hat.
"Well, Teddy's dad was a werewolf, and during the full moon he'd lock himself up in the shack with his friends to help him so he wouldn't attack anybody. The transformation was painful, so he screamed a lot, and his friends told ghost stories about the shack so nobody would go snooping around," he informed her.
"Wow," she replied, rubbing her hands together.
"Are you cold?" he asked, frowning with concern.
She shook her head, but her chattering teeth, flushed face, and shivering body betrayed her.
"C'mon," he said, automatically taking her hand. "Let's go to the Three Broomsticks. I'll buy you a butterbeer."
She smiled and interlaced their fingers. Blushing slightly, he led her back into the main of Hogsmeade. When they entered the Three Broomsticks, they saw Sebastian sitting with his date Brenna Cooper. All of a sudden Brenna screamed something and stormed out of the pub. Hugo and Viola looked at each other and then went over to sit with him.
"What was that about?" Viola asked as she and Hugo sat down in the seats opposite Sebastian.
"Nothing," Sebastian grumbled, then motioned for a waiter. "Another butterbeer, please."
"Make that three," Hugo said. The waiter nodded and walked away.
"Well, I'm going to run to the ladies room," Viola told them, putting her jacket on the back of her chair and walking away from the table.
Hugo watched her go, mesmerized by the way her curls bounced as she walked. His hand tingled, and he had the sudden urge to stop her from going to the bathroom so he could hold her hand. When she disappeared from sight, he stared at the tabletop, wondering why his heart was beating so fast.
"Hey, Seb?"
Sebastian grunted in response.
"I, uh...I think I like your sister," he said.
The older boy paused, contemplation on his face. "Alright."
Hugo sagged with relief. He was scared that Sebastian wouldn't approve. He was going to say something else, but at that moment Viola returned. Ignoring the obnoxious beating of his heart and the heat that was spreading across his face, he met her chocolate brown eyes and smiled brightly at her.
Year Five
It was a beautiful, perfectly sunny Saturday and Hugo was laying outside on the grass by the lake underneath the shade of a tree. Viola lay next to him, her head on his chest. He absentmindedly played with her hair as he stared up at the sky, contemplating his dilemma.
At least a year had passed since he realized that he liked Viola, and yet he had done nothing about it. Sebastian kept encouraging him to ask her out, but he just couldn't do it. He was scared that it could mess up their friendship, especially if she said no. And besides, he had absolutely no idea how to ask a girl out. He'd never liked a girl before, and had never really thought about it. None of his cousins were very much help, either.
Viola stirred and opened her eyes, tilting her head to look at Hugo. She smiled, then covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned. Sitting up, she stretched her arms.
"Sorry I fell asleep," she mumbled, rubbing one of her eyes.
Hugo propped himself up on his elbows and smiled. "It's alright, I didn't mind."
She looked at him and smiled back. The sun illuminated her from behind, and she looked like she was glowing. She took his breath away. He'd never seen anything so beautiful.
Viola sighed suddenly, and looked away.
"What's wrong?" Hugo asked, sitting up properly now.
She shook her head and gave him a tired look. "Are we going to do this or not?"
He felt alarmed. "What are you talking about?"
"This," she replied, gesturing to the both of them. "Us."
He felt his ears turn red, and he opened and closed his mouth, trying to stammer something out.
Viola rolled her eyes and adjusted her position so could look at him. She placed a hand on his cheek, effectively stopping his babbling.
"Hugo Weasley," she said ominously, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"
He blushed and nodded silently, at a loss for words. She smiled, blushing too. And he stared into her eyes, wondering if this was a dream, and if it was, he decided that he was content to remain asleep forever. Just so long as he could look at her and feel this happy.
She sighed again.
"What now?" he asked with worry.
"Are you going to kiss me or not?" she demanded, pouting slightly.
He chuckled slightly and leaned forward to kiss the only girl that had ever entranced him as much as a wand did.
Year Six
Hugo yawned widely as he dragged his feet down the corridor to the pile of barrels that was the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. He'd spent the entire day in the library writing seventy-two inches on Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. And to top it all, it was his birthday too! Godric, he hated N.E.W.T. classes.
He tapped the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff" with his wand on the barrel in the middle of the second row, grateful for the sight of the tunnel that led to his common room. He walked through the tunnel, but was confused as to why the common room was all dark. Then -
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HUGO!"
The torches were lit again and he was shocked to see the state of the common room. A huge banner stretched across the room, reading, "Happy 17th Birthday!" The common room was decorated in pink, red, and white, and all sorts of Valentine's Day themed decorations covered the room. Everyone knew he hated the color pink, but it couldn't be avoided since he was born on February 14th. His entire house standing before him with huge grins on all their faces. Even Lily was there!
"How did you - " he started as his crimson haired cousin ran forward to hug him.
"Vi let me in," she said, cutting him off. "But don't worry, she blindfolded me the entire way from the Great Hall here, so the location is still a secret." She gave him a rueful smile. "Oh, and, sorry about the decorations."
He shrugged. "It can't be helped."
He felt a tug on his robe and turned to see Viola standing before him. She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.
"Did you plan this?" he asked.
"But of course!" she declared. "Do you like it?"
He kissed her quickly. "I love it."
She smiled happily. "That's great. Now, for your present." She turned around and bent over, grabbing something out from under one of the chairs.
"Close your eyes," she commanded, and he obeyed. "I didn't have time to wrap it since it arrived this morning. Thank goodness you were in the library. Oh - did you finish your essay?"
"Yes, I did," he replied, smiling with the relief of it all. "Professor Wickliff had better like it."
"Of course he'll like it," she said, patting his cheek. "Alright, open your eyes."
He opened his eyes and stared at the object in her arms. It was a thick, old book with a faded cover and yellowed pages. He'd never loved a book quite as much in his whole life.
"The Mystery of Wandlore," he read, then stared at Viola with wide eyes. "Where did you find this? !"
She smiled secretively. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
He took the book from her and set it down on the nearby table, then took her up into his arms, kissing her fiercely and spinning her around. She laughed and clutched him tightly, eyes alight with joy.
"Oi, that's my sister, you!"
Hugo stopped spinning and set Viola down, smiling apologetically at Sebastian, who was glaring playfully at them. "Sorry, Seb."
"Nah, it's fine," the boy replied. "Just get over here and cut the cake!"
He nodded, sending one of the first years to put the very precious book in his dorm. Then he took Viola's hand and kissed her once more before going over to cut the large (and very pink) seven-tier cake. He'd never had a better birthday in his life.
Year Seven
"Weasley, Hugo Ronald!"
He stood up and arranged his robes slightly before walking up on the platform to receive his diploma from Professor Nolan.
"Good job, boy," the professor said as he shook his hand.
"Thank you sir," Hugo replied, breathless with the excitement of it all.
He turned to the audience and held up his diploma, grinning from ear to ear. His entire family (including Lily, who was sitting with the other graduates) along with Viola and Sebastian rose to their feet and cheered loudly. After Eloise Zabini received her diploma, Professor Nolan turned to the audience and smiled.
"I give you, the class of 2026!"
The audience cheered again, and Hugo stood with the other graduates and tossed their wizard caps up into the air. He Summoned his back to him, found Lily, and went over to their family. They were instantly surrounded by the predominately red headed family, and were being hugged and clapped on the back and told congratulations. Hugo found Viola and kissed her forehead as she told him how proud she was of him. There was so much commotion that he almost didn't notice someone tapping him on the shoulder. He turned and stared, surprised and more than a little perplexed.
"M-Mr. Ollivander?" he asked.
The elderly man smiled at him, leaning heavily on his cane. "Congratulations, m'boy."
"Thank you very much, sir," Hugo said, smiling back.
"I don't know if you have any career plans yet, but I was wondering if you would consider becoming my apprentice?"
Hugo's jaw dropped and his eyes widened as Viola squeezed his hand excitedly, beaming up at him.
"Let's face it, I'm not getting any younger," Mr. Ollivander said with a wheezing chuckle, "and my son doesn't want to follow the family trade. I need somebody to entrust the shop to, somebody who I know will stay true to the nature of wands and wandlore. I was hoping that somebody would be you."
His mind was reeling. Him? Hugo Weasley, the self-proclaimed not special one of the Weasley-Potter clan, become Garrick Ollivander's apprentice?
"What do you say, m'boy?" he asked.
"What do I say?" Hugo repeated, still dumbfounded by it all. "I - I - yes! Yes, of course! It's all I've ever wanted!"
Mr. Ollivander smiled and nodded. "I'll send my owl. For now, enjoy your graduation." He patted the boy on the shoulder and slowly hobbled away from the group.
"Thank you!" Hugo called. "Thank you so much!"
He turned to Viola and hugged her tightly, thinking that life couldn't get any better. He didn't know exactly what lay ahead of him, what problems would arise, what joys he would encounter, but he didn't care. He figured that as long as he had Viola with him and could spend his life doing what he loved, he didn't need anything else.
Aww, Hugo! I'm really glad that I entered this challenge, because I was able to explore Hugo and Viola's characters. So thank you, ReillyJade!
Please review!
~Kicon