Disclaimer: I own nothing except my plot and any O.C. character.


Chapter 1: James

James looked up and down the sunny street that made up Diagon Alley. There were people bustling this way and that. There were other families, like his, wandering about the street buying school books, cauldrons, pets, and various other school supplies their children would need come the first of September. There were also other sorts of witches and wizards going about their daily routine or stepping into the various stores to do their shopping. He wasn't always a fan of shopping trips, but this one was different. This time they were shopping for his first year at Hogwarts.

He and his dad had already bought all of his other school supplies as his mother, careening about with his two younger siblings, had done some of the family shopping she had been putting off. He hadn't needed to purchase a pet, as his grandparents had given him his very own owl for his most recent birthday, but that hadn't stopped him from wanting to peak in at the other owls for sale at Eeylop's. He was glad it had just been him and his dad doing the shopping alone most of the morning. He didn't like the idea of his over excited little sister and his overly interested little brother getting in the way of things. No, this was supposed to be about him and he did not want them around. Not today at least. Today was his day. He grinned in anticipation, the only bit of shopping they had left to do was to get his wand and he could not wait.

"Aren't we going in?" he asked his father as they stood staring at the shabby shop in front of them. A blonde girl that looked to be about his age with pigtails had just exited the dingy little store with her parents, and he thought this would be the perfect time now it was empty. The sign over the door read, "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." There was a single wand on display, and it was situated on a cushion behind the window.

"Not just yet, Jamey. We're a bit early; we need to wait on your mum. She wants to be there when you purchased your first wand," he said emphasizing the first, as he grinned down at his oldest child. He knew how important this was to James and how his excitement level had been rising faster than a currier owl in flight.

James made a face, "I told you not to call me that!" he hissed. He hated it when his family called him by his childhood nickname, Jamey. Even thinking the name to himself he couldn't help but think of it with disdain. It made him sound like a bit of a duffer if you asked him, a bit like a baby. Now that he was eleven and about to start school in less than a month's time he felt they should start treating him more like a man and less like a boy. He had informed his parents and all of his relatives he would no longer be going by that name only a few weeks ago at a family party at the Burrow. They had agreed – most with heavily amused expressions and quiet sniggers – at the time, but they still referred to him as such almost exclusively.

James' father stared down the street in the direction he thought his wife most likely to be coming from unbothered by his son's comment. He smiled and raised his hand, "Over here Gin," he called obviously seeing something James could not through the sea of robes and pointed hats. James looked about until he caught sight of his mother's flaming red hair coming through the crowd. She was holding the hand of a little girl with slightly lighter red hair than her own and being followed by a boy with the messiest of black hair.

"Finally! We've only been waiting for ages!" He knew very well they'd only been there a few moments but he'd been waiting, for what seemed like to him his entire life, for this moment. He wanted his wand, and he wanted his wand now! As far as he was concerned he had waited long enough.

"Don't be so impatient Jamey or we may just have to come back another day. You wouldn't want to have to wait another week or so would you?" His mother threatened with the air of a woman who had been far to harassed as of late. He shook his head vehemently. "That's what I thought. Let's go on in. Lily, Al, stay close to me and don't touch anything, I mean it!"

"Ah Mum can't I get my wand too?"

"No Al, you'll have your turn soon enough." His mum ushered them all through the door their father was holding open for them.

"Rough outing Gin?" He asked grinning at her in a bemused knowing sort of way. It was always difficult for them to go out in public. People always seemed to go as slow as they possibly could around them, and James was sure – as crazy as it seemed – that people even stared at them in the streets. He was certain he had seen someone take a photo of him and his dad earlier, but when he had brought it up his father had waved him off with a, "surely not," and a, "don't be so ridiculous. What would they want a photo of us for?" James wasn't convinced, but he had let the subject drop; it wasn't the first time he had had this suspicion after all. Maybe he really was just imagining things.

"You wouldn't believe," His mother was saying, "Al wanted practically everything and anything he saw and was touching all of it. I swear he asks more question than even Percy did when he was this age. While Lily, on the other hand, was refusing to take even a moments rest or to sit down at all, and was demanding we stop for Hot Fudge Sundays every two minutes, or at the very least a bag of candies at the sweet shop. No Lily! I told you not to touch!" The little red headed girl pulled her hand back from the window display wand smiling in an apologetic would-be-innocent sort of way. "If you two aren't careful James'll be the only one who gets ice cream before we go home today." She scolded his brother and sister while his father grinned. Harry knew his wife was just blowing smoke out her wand. They'd been promising them ice cream from Bruno's Creamery for days now. She couldn't very well go back on their word at this point, no matter how frustrating their two youngest were being. It would just cause more havoc than it was worth as well as a few tantrums, he'd wager, on the ride home.

The tinkle of the bell as they had entered the dust filled air of the shop brought the very old wand maker and his son to the front. "Ah Mr. Potter. I was wondering when I would be seeing you and your family in my shop: holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches – nice and supple. That wand has done many a great dead in it's time."

"Er, yah. Um, thanks," he coughed, "thank you sir." James' father muttered looking a bit uncomfortable. He'd heard a conversation between him and his mother earlier in the day about how they weren't particularly sure they liked Mr. Ollivander that much. He was beginning to see why as the man stared an extra few minutes longer than was strictly necessary at his father.

"And Mrs. Potter," he gave a curious sort of smile that was a mixture between what appeared to be fondness and a piercing, even stare, "Acacia and unicorn hair, particularly sturdy in design – ten and a half inches and a good wand for high jinxes I believe." James' father coughed trying to cover a snort as his mother shot him a glare.

She smiled stating, "Yes, yes it is."

"Still working quite well for you?"

"Oh yes. Quite well indeed."

"Good, good. Ah yes! And now for you, young Mr. Potter," he said turning his piercing eyes in his direction. James shifted uncomfortably. He really wished he'd look back at his father now. "Wand arm?"

"Um," he stuck out his left arm almost feebly. "This one I think," it came out as a little over a whisper. His dad nudged him, giving him an encouraging smile. James nodded, stepping forward, "definitely this one," he stated more assuredly now with what he hoped was a winning smile. This had been what he'd been waiting all day for after all.

Mr. Ollivander's son pulled out a measuring tape and set to work measuring and marking down every conceivable area on him. "Oi!" he said, "watch were your sticking that tape! That tickles!"

The younger, yet still quite old, Mr. Ollivander chuckled, "My apologies."

"What do you think, Adalbert?" Mr. Ollivander asked. James stuck his tongue out at the man and crossed his eyes.

"I think it would be wise to start him with a spruce, or perhaps even a dogwood."

The older Mr. Ollivander nodded his agreement and slipped a box off the dusty shelf handing it to his son. Adalbert opened the long package and pulled out a slim and shiny wand. James could barely contain himself and he stepped forward eagerly. "Nine and a half inches, spruce, dragon heartstring. Excellent for particularly creative defense work," he said holding it out to him.

James took it excitedly, but no sooner had he had it in his hands than it had been wrenched out again. "Hey! I was hoping to try a bit of magiking with that wand… Enlarge a toad or something at least!"

"Be patient Jamey. That just wasn't your wand. You'll find it soon enough." His mother said from the spindly chair that she was sitting in with his little sister on her lap watching eagerly. Al was staring around the counter at all the boxes on the shelf, but wasn't daring to upset his mother by grabbing for one. James frowned as he was handed another wand, spruce again. After, what felt like an absurd amount of time had passed he had accumulated more wands than he had thought he would ever have had to test in his life. It seemed like he had gone through about twenty wands already, only one of which – a red oak – had been any other kind of wood than the two the Mr. Ollivanders had earlier claimed to be for him.

"I'm beginning to think you'll be nearly as difficult as your father was," Mr. Ollivander said happily. James groaned. He wanted his wand now!

"I believe I went through about half the shop before we landed on my correct pairing," his father said, eyes sparkling with joy at the shocked look on his son's face.

Adalbert handed him a wand proclaiming it to be just over fifteen inches – a bit bigger than the average wand – swishy and with the core of dragon heartstrings. He reached out for the wand feeling a bit ridiculous at the size of it. "With your personality you just might need that extra length," he proclaimed. It seemed to James the man was enjoying his agony and impatience.

He took proper hold of the wand and gasped, "Galloping gargoyles!" The wand felt warm to his hand and vibrated slightly as if humming. It emitted a shooting out of silver stars. His family clapped and his sister cheered. He felt a grin spreading onto his face from ear to ear. This was his wand; he'd finally found it. His father congratulated him and proclaimed to him how patience really did pay off in the end, but he didn't take it in. He was too delirious with happiness to listen. He did a sort of jig and brandished his wand about as if to spear some unseen bad wizard with it only to have it ripped out of his hand by Mr. Ollivander.

Mr. Ollivander began wrapping it up as his mother admonished him, "You could have poked someone's eye out or set the whole place on fire! If you don't be more careful we may just have to take that from you until you start at Hogwarts." He apologized quickly, but his mum was grinning at him, obvious pride in her eyes. She hugged him fiercely and proclaimed, "Congratulations Jamey, you're on your way to being a real, proper wizard now." He beamed up at her feeling far too elated to care that she had just called him Jamey.

With his new dogwood and dragon heartstrings wand wrapped up in his hands they exited the shop in the direction of Bruno's. He thought, feeling overly pleased with himself, my name is James Sirius Potter and I finally have a wand, my very first wand!


a/n: This is the first time I've posted a story. I hope you like it so far! Please let me know what you think.