(Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, much to my dismay.)

Chapter 1: James Potter

A mop of untidy, black hair was the only thing Euphemia and Fleamont could see of their 11-year-old son, as they tried to keep an eye on him darting through the dense crowds of Diagon Alley. Small and slight, he could easily weave around passing shoppers and make his way hastily through the crowd. The same could not be said for his parents, who were getting on in age and really didn't have the flexibility to follow the young Potter quite as closely as they wanted to.

A small shop came into view: Ollivander's, makers of fine wands since 382 BC, the sign read.

"Mum! MUM! Dad! Hurry up!" A voice yelled from the crowd, surprisingly loud considering the small size of the person it came from.

"James, wait there, love, don't get lost," Euphemia shouted back as she found her son in the crowd. "Don't run off like that, you had us worried for a minute."

"Sorry, mum, but look! Ollivanders!"

"Definitely going to be in Gryffindor, this one," Fleamont said with a hint of pride. Euphemia smiled, shaking her head. Both she and Fleamont had been in Gryffindor and it seemed as though James would follow in their footsteps.

They entered the rather old-looking shop, and James looked around in awe. Wands, dozens upon dozens of wands, were piled right up to the ceiling, were covering every shelf, scattered across every table. He could barely contain his excitement. One of those wands would soon be his wand - then he would be a proper wizard!

"Mr. Potter- and Mrs. Potter," He heard Ollivander say to his parents. "It has been rather a long time."

James looked up at Ollivander as the adults talked. He was somewhat of an odd looking man, James thought. His eyes were rather large and wide, James wondered if he ever blinked.

"Just turned 11, I see?" Ollivander addressed James, pulling him out of his daydream.

"Yep," He replied. "I'm starting Hogwarts soon."

"Well," Ollivander replied. "Let us see if you can find a suitable wand. Or rather, whether a wand will find you to be a suitable wizard."

James didn't really know what he was talking about, but he followed him down one of the narrow isles of the shop and watched as he pulled out wands here and there. He pulled out a rather handsome wand which James hoped would become his, however, the wandmaker seemed to rethink his decision and placed the wand back on the shelf. After a few minutes, he climbed down from the small stepladder he was on and placed the wands on an empty table.

"Well, Mr. Potter," He said, picking up one of the wands. "Let us begin."

"14 inches. Holly. Dragon Heartstring. Very rigid. Give it a wave."

James picked up the wand as his parents grinned fondly. He waved it, and nothing happened. He waved it again, more vigorously this time, and a very faint spray of blue light came out of the end. Ollivander took the wand back.

"No, no, that will not do. Not too far off though, not too far... Perhaps Hazel..."

James looked at his parents worriedly as Ollivander picked through the wands on the desk.

"It's alright, Jamie, it always takes more than one go. It took me about twenty attempts before I found the right one." His mother said. He smiled, relieved. He was a little worried that no wand would suit him, and that Ollivander would declare him a squib, and that he wouldn't be able to go to Hogwarts at all. Of course, a small part of his brain knew this was ridiculous - he had done plenty of accidental magic before - but still.

Ollivander handed him another wand. "Hazel," He said. "12 and three quarter inches. Dragon Heartstring. Swishy."

He took the wand and almost as soon as he did, he felt a sharp stinging pain to his hand. "Aah!" he shouted, dropping the wand on the floor. Fleamont picked it up and handed it back to Ollivander who smiled contentedly. "Well, we shall steer clear of Hazel." He said, turning back to the wand pile.

Next was a sleek white wand. "Pear." Ollivander said. "Unicorn Hair. Nine and a quarter inches. Reasonably springy."

James took the wand gingerly. He felt a bit of warmth spread to his fingertips as he picked it up, and grasped it more firmly. He waved it, and it caused a gust of wind to erupt, sending a pile of parchment to go flying off Ollivanders desk. "Sorry," he said.

"Never matter, never matter, though I do not think this is the wand for you." Ollivander said, putting the Pear wand back on the table. James was a little confused about that. That wand felt right, and it was rather a handsome wand. He rather regretted that it could not be his.

"Perhaps Rowan?" Fleamont suggested after Ollivander had spent a few minutes looking through the pile.

"Perhaps... we can try it, of course, yes, Rowan," Ollivander replied, though he looked rather skeptical as he handed James a ten inch Rowan wand with a unicorn hair core. The wand felt warm to the touch as James picked it up, however, as he waved it, nothing happened. He waved it twice more, and still nothing happened. With a sigh, he handed the wand back to Ollivander, who placed it back on the pile. He picked up another wand almost immediately, and held it out to James.

"Mahogany," He said. "Eleven inches long. Dragon Heartstring. Rather pliable." It was quite a nice looking wand, James thought. Not as nice as the Pear one, but it was a nice light colour and was a simple design. He picked it up, and immediately felt a warmth spread from his palm, down to his fingertips, right up to his elbow. He grinned at his parents again, who smiled at eachother knowingly. He waved the wand once, and instantly a shower of golden sparks erupted from the tip, showering over his head. He grinned even more widely.

"Yes," Ollivander said, smiling knowingly. "This is a brilliant wand, and it seems you are a match, Mr. Potter. Excellent wand for transfiguration. Rather adept at defensive spells, too, I should think. Would you like it in the box?"

"No, that's fine, I'll keep it out, if that's okay," James said excitedly. Ollivander smiled.

"Rarely anyone does want the box." He said. "Seven galleons, that'll be, please,"

The adults went over to the counter to pay as James examined his new wand. He longed to use it, even though he didn't really know any spells. He had seen his parents do some around the house, which he could probably imitate, but his mother had warned him about underage magic, and he didn't want to be expelled from Hogwarts before he'd even started.

"You ready to go, James?" Fleamont said, holding open the door.

"Yep!" He replied. "Thanks, Mr. Ollivander," He added, before leaving the shop with his parents. He heard the door close behind him as the family stepped out on to the street. He knew there was more shopping to be done, but all he could think about was his wand. He had his very own wand! His parents seemed to sense his enthusiasm as they were both smiling as well. His mother's grin was almost identical to his - always slightly mischievous looking, even when he wasn't planning anything prank-like at all. It made the innocent look very hard to pull off.

"Mahogany! Your aunt Felia had a mahogany wand." Euphemia said. "Oh, Jamie, that wand will be with you for many, many years. Take good care of it, love."

"I will, mum," He said, rolling his eyes a little. He could still feel the warmth in his palm from when he had first held the wand. He felt like he never wanted to let go of it again. He knew this was the wand he would be holding when he died. Mahogany, he thought. Dragon Heartstring. How cool is that!

"That's a Gryffindor's wand, that is, son," Fleamont said jokingly as they made their way to the next shop on the list. He could practically hear his mother rolling her eyes as he laughed and took her hand.

ooooooooooooo

A/N: Thanks for reading! This will just be a little series of oneshots, about different characters getting their first wands from Ollivanders. I'll start with the Marauders, and then move on to some other characters - feel free to suggest some! Some character wands have already been specified (or partially specified) by JK Rowling, but others I will just make up - there is a very handy and very interesting guide on Pottermore about wand woods and the different personalities they fit, which inspired me to write this fic. James Potter's wand was specified as Mahogany and 11 inches, and also good at Transfiguration - the rest, I made up.

I used the Pottermore article about wand cores when selecting everyone's wands, so you may find it quite interesting to check out that article. It gives a little insight into the character's personalities!

Please feel free to review :)