A/N: The descriptions of the qualities of the wood and core that Mr. Windlebeet gives, and Mr. Windlebeet himself belong to SeverusGirl360 and can be found in her story Harry Potter Tutorial 1: Wands and Wand Cores. Also, while I am an American, to keep this accurate, I'll be using metric measurements for everything, with American in (parentheses.)
Altered Fates
Part One: The Philosopher's Stone
Chapter Two: Friends, Letters & Ithaka Rd
Six years after the death of the Potters and the torture of the Longbottoms, the Grace family was living a quiet life. Eric had retired from the magical world and was working as a mortician in the city of Exeter. Sarah was still working at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but now as the head of the Improper Use of Magic Office. She flooed to work before Eric woke, and didn't return until after he went to sleep. As such, Eric was the one who raised their son, Nico, and that led to a small problem. Nico saw his father change back from his animagus form and immediately wanted to know how he did it. Eric never could refuse Nico anything, so he told him a half-truth and claimed that he was a shape shifter. (Eric was waiting to tell Nico about magic until he got his Hogwarts letter, as he wanted Nico to have the same reaction as he had when he first learned about magic.) Eric froze at Nico's response: Nico wanted to learn how to become an animal as well. Eric delayed as long as he could, but Nico refused to stop pestering him, and when stubborn, fiery-haired (and tempered) Nico wanted something, he could be extremely stubborn. Eventually he gave in and made a potion that would help Nico do it.
Two years later, Nico successfully transformed into a golden eagle, but changing so young had an unexpected on him, as his blue eyes now had flecks of gold in them and the more often he changed, the more his eyes changed color. After three months, his eyes were half gold and half blue, and he was constantly being teased at school about it. One day he was being chased by a group of bullies, and got cornered. He closed his eyes, fearful of the beating that he was sure to get, but he was shocked when, instead of being hit, a kind voice said "You can open your eyes now, they're gone." When Nico opened his eyes, he saw the most handsome boy he had ever seen. I think I'm in love. The somewhat familiar grey-eyed brunette offered his hand and pulled him up. "My name's Cedric Diggory, what's yours?"
Oh! No wonder Nico recognized him. Cedric Diggory was the most handsome, friendly, popular kid at their school, and two years ahead of Nico. "Nico, Nico Grace. Thanks for saving me."
"Me save you? I appreciate the sentiment, but I didn't save you. You did that all by yourself. That was the most impressive case of accidental magic I've ever seen!"
"Accidental magic? What are you talking about? Magic isn't real, it only exists in fantasy stories!"
Cedric laughed at that. "If you believe that, then I can't wait to see how you react to your Hogwarts letter! Although, I'll have to wait four years to see that. Hey, what would you say to coming home with me tomorrow? My dad can show you some real magic and you'll be able to get an idea as to what you'll learn there." Nico gladly agreed, with the condition that he let his father know. Eric quickly agreed, although he was shocked to learn that Nico had met another young wizard. By the end of his visit, Nico and Cedric had become extremely close friends.
On June 15, 1999, Cedric received his Hogwarts letter, and the first person he told after his father was Nico. (He would have gotten it the previous year, but Cedric's birthday was September 15, so he wasn't able to start at Hogwarts until that year because his birthday was after the term started.) Since Nico's first visit two years previously, the two boys had become extremely close, to the point that they considered each other brothers. In fact, while Cedric was visiting the Grace home, he asked Nico if he wanted to go with him to Diagon Alley. Eric was so shocked that he actually spat out what he was drinking. "What? You already know about our world?"
"Yeah, Cedric told me the first day that we met. Him and his dad have actually taught me quite a lot. He even revealed the truth about what we are."
"You told Cedric about Goldie?" Goldie was Nico's nickname for when he was in his animagus form.
"Of course he did, Mr. Grace. How else was he supposed to explain the fact that his eyes are half gold now? He also told me about Spike," Cedric said, grinning.
"HE WHAT?" Eric was in complete shock. While he hadn't told Nico the truth about where he went to school, he had told him about the Marauders. And he had tried to impress thought on Nico: the Marauders and all their secrets were supposed to be a secret only told to Marauder's kids.
"I suppose that this means I can't go with Cedric?" To both boys surprise, Eric said that Nico could go, but that Nico couldn't spill anymore Marauder secrets.
Amos took the boys to Diagon Alley about a month later, and both boys wished they had at least four more pairs of eyes in order to truly take in the sights of the magical street. They enjoyed their first trip inside Gringotts, the magic of Gambol & Japes' Joke Shop, the scents of the apothecary (somewhat,) and the magic of Ollivander's Wand Shop. Nico was a little disappointed with Ollivander, as his method of determining the right wand was nothing more than pure guesswork. Eventually, after trying nearly two dozen different wands, Cedric found his: a 31 cm (12 ΒΌ in) springy ash wand with a core of unicorn hair. On September 1, the two said goodbye as Cedric left for his first year at Hogwarts, but promised to keep in touch.
Over the next nine months, Cedric and Nico exchanged many letters, usually about the fun time Cedric was having in the Hufflepuff House, but hidden in those letters were notes preparing Nico for when he went to Hogwarts. Little things like the terror that was Potions Master, Professor Snape, difficult spells that he was learning, and a warning about the janitor Argus Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris. Cedric even managed to make a friend in Slytherin, a Romulus White. The one thing that Cedric's letters didn't cover were the Potions lessons, at least, not after the first letter that warned Nico about Snape and three questions that he always asked his First Year students.
The reason for the lack of mention of Potions was made clear that summer. Cedric told his "little brother" that he had quickly realized that Snape was a terrible teacher and had decided that the two of them would learn the potions together over the summer. Thanks to their fathers, the duo managed to not only master the potions, but also figure out ways to make them better than the official instructions did, and writing the alterations in a journal.
On June 21, 2001 Nico got his first Hogwarts letter, and Alex offered to take both boys to a little-known place that he had heard was even better than Diagon Alley for getting magical supplies. Amos agreed, but he was surprised when he heard that Cedric would need to spend the night before with the Grace's in order to go. On the morning of June 30, Eric woke them an hour before dawn and told them to get ready to go. Both boys groaned, but managed to get ready in fifteen minutes. Once they were outside, Eric told them, "You're in for a real treat today, boys. The Knight Bus is easily the best way for us to travel, and above all, it's fun! Now, where is that bus?" Eric stuck his wand out, obviously waiting for something.
Out of nowhere came a blue triple-decker bus, with a young man standing at the back door. He had clearly just graduated from Hogwarts and just as clearly had only recently started his job, because he was reading his greeting off a card. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor for this evening." Cedric and Nico looked at each other in shock, sending the same thought to each other: Is Eric crazy? But despite their misgivings, they got on the bus. The Knight Bus was easily the oddest bus they'd ever seen, with beds replacing the seats, and a shrunken head hanging from the rearview mirror. Once the three were settled, Stan knocked on the glass behind the driver and said, "Take it away, Ern."
"Yeah, take it away Ernie! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!" To the boys shock, it was the shrunken head that had responded to Stan. Then the Knight Bus shot away like a rocket, sending the boys flying into the bed behind them. Ernie was, without a doubt, the most reckless driver they had ever seen, driving so fast that the other cars seemed to be nothing but blurs, not to mention driving on the wrong side of the road.
"Now, just where-abouts are you headed?"
"Calypso's in York," Eric responded. The boys were shocked at that. York? As far as either of them knew, there was nothing magical in York.
"Hey, won't the Muggles see us?" Cedric asked.
"Muggles? They don't see nothing, do they?"
Once again, the head spoke, saying "No, but if you jab them with a fork, they feel!" A few seconds later, the head cried out "Ernie! Little old lady at twelve o'clock!" Ernie just barely managed to stop the bus in time, throwing both boys into the glass. The head started counting down, "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, tree and a half, two, one and tree-quarters, YES!" And once again the bus shot forward, sending the boys back into the bed. Throughout this, both Eric and Stan had managed to not only stay standing, but also managed to have a conversation, almost as if they were completely used to the bus. They had just arrived at York when the head said "Ernie, two double-deckers at twelve o'clock." Ernie did nothing. "They're getting closer, Ern." Ernie still did nothing. "Ernie, they're right on top of us!" Finally, Ernie did something, somehow compressing the bus so that they would fit in-between the buses, with the head saying "Mind your head." As the bus compressed, everything got longer, and the head managed to joke, "Hey guys! Guys! Why the long faces?"
Not two minutes later, about an hour after dawn, there was another abrupt stop, again sending the boys into the glass, but this time the Knight Bus didn't manage to stop in time, bumping into a Muggle car and setting off the alarm. The three got off the bus and stepped into the inn, and then stepped through a passageway onto a long road. "Boys, welcome to Ithaka Road." In many ways, Ithaka Rd was very similar to Diagon Alley, but in others it was very different. There were fewer people there, fewer shops, more homes, and to Cedric's surprise, the prices were far cheaper than at Diagon Alley. Twelve Sickles for dragon liver (compared to the sixteen Sickles at Diagon) and two Knuts per scoop of beetle eyes (compared to five Knuts per scoop.) Also, the wandmaker that sold Cedric's wand, Ollivander, didn't have a shop on Ithaka Rd. The only wandshop there was Windlebeet's Better Wands & Cores Emporium. From the moment they stepped into the shop, Nico could feel the magic surrounding him, a magic that was as orderly and harmonious as the sheet music for his beloved violin.
Peter Tobias Windlebeet III was a fairly young man for a wizard, at only 53 years old, a Muggle would think him about twenty years younger than he actually was, and still a prime catch. He greeted them with a smile and said "Welcome to my shop, Nico! I've been expecting you for a while now."
"Uhm, you've been expecting me?"
"Yes, your father contacted me about six months ago and said that you'd be starting at Hogwarts this year. Now, let's get down to business." With that he pulled out a tape measure and started measuring different parts of Nico. "You don't need to tell me which arm is your wand arm, your father already told me you were left-handed. Let's see . . . carry the one . . . ah hah! A thirty-five and a half centimeter (14 in) wand should do you. Now, onto the wood." Windlebeet then pulled out a long box, which was quickly revealed to hold many different wands, each made of a different wood, and all were quite plain. "Ollivander is completely random with the wands he presents his customers in order to make it seem difficult, I think he likes it that way. But not my family, oh no. Here, we have an orderly process that is guaranteed to find you your wand in as little time as possible." With each sentence, Windlebeet had handed Nico a different wand, and pulled them back when they didn't react to him. "We start off by figuring out what length your wand should be, and then move on to the wood."
"But Mr. Windlebeet, how can you tell if it's the right wood? Doesn't the core affect the wand?"
"Normally you'd be right, Mr. Diggory. However, in order to reduce the possibility of choosing the wrong wood, each of these wands carry the same core: Unicorn hair, and all of them pulled from the same dying unicorn. That way there will be little magic left in the hairs. Ah, oak wood! Good, that's one more detail taken care of. It's a strong wood, usually known to wandmakers as Wizard Wood. It speaks of great things in store for you, Mr. Grace. Now, grab my hand and we can head to the appropriate part of my shop."
"Um, why do we need to grab your hand?"
"Because, Mr. Grace, we will be taking a portkey there. Now, Oak!" Nico and Cedric had heard of portkeys, and were prepared for a gut-wrenching feeling, but it didn't happen. One minute they were at the front desk, the next they were in the middle of a long corridor filled with shelves of wands, although they were slightly dizzy. "Ah, we're in luck, we landed exactly where we need to be: 35.5 cm oak wands. Now we just need to find the right core for you."
"Well, that shouldn't take long, right?"
"Longer than you might think Mr. Diggory. If I were like Ollivander, no, it wouldn't take long at all, considering he only stocks the three most common cores: unicorn hair, phoenix feather and dragon heartstring. My family, on the other hand, stocks every core ever used, and many combinations. I always start with the common cores, but it is rare that I actually sell one of those." While he was speaking, he had pulled out the three wands, but none reacted well. "Alright, let's try Acromantula web." A single, colorless spark came from the wand, which then blew out the nearby wall. "Definitely not, hmm, maybe my rarest core, Basilisk skin?" Another explosion, but that spark was larger. "Nope, but getting closer."
Cedric asked another question, "Why are those wands causing explosions?"
"Because they react too well with his character, Mr. Diggory. Each core means something. Acromantula web works well with those who are stubborn, fearless, mischievous, but also a strong desire for vengeance. Basilisk skin works well with Parselmouths that are strong-willed, determined, resilient, steadfast and unyielding. The ones with Basilisk cores are often able to overcome overwhelming odds, but are also usually Dark magicians. Maybe a Hydra bone would work?" Windlebeet handed him another wand, and it sent off nearly a thousand golden sparks, but it did little damage. "Almost got it, but something's missing." He thought for a moment, and then inspiration hit him. "I wonder . . . it's an odd combination but maybe . . ." He pulled an elegantly carved wand with unusual designs down and handed it to Nico. He immediately knew that this wand was his, it warmed his entire being, and shot out red and gold sparks like mad, but none did any damage. "Well, I wondered who would get that particular wand. I have had it in my possession for just over twelve years now, and I still don't know why I made that wand with that particular core. Most wandmakers would call me crazy for making it, and yet I knew I had to."
"What is the core for my wand, sir?"
"Hydra bone and Thestral hair, my boy. I will be watching your career with great interest, Mr. Grace. I'm looking forward to seeing how my wand works for you, and what you can accomplish with it." Nico blushed at that, and, once they had returned to the front desk, paid the requested five Galleons for the wand (compared to the seven Galleons that Cedric had paid.)
