Yes! Second installment! I'm estimating that this story will be 10-14 chapters long, maybe a little more...
Thanks to ThisbySolo and Experienced Author for reviewing. (I'd thank HelenaVoldemort, but she helped write it...)
Oh, I apologize if the end of this chapter seems...odd...I wrote it while in a sick daze, so it probably isn't perfect, and is probably a little weired. I's also like to point out that I wrote this while under medication, so that's most likely a contributing factor...
Disclaimer: 'you know all those dangerous mutants you hear about on the news? I'm the worst one...'
The New Marauders
Book One
First Steps to Hell, Chapter Two
- Of Wands and Wanderings -
"Hey, Lee," Fred leaned across the table to the still ice-cream covered boy.
"What?" Lee sighed irritably. Honestly, how was he ever going to survive seven years with these idiots? He shuddered at the thought, and addressed Fred. "What?" he said again.
"Have you got your wand yet?" the red-head asked, drumming his fingers on the table and looking over his shoulder to where Lemony and George were buying ice-creams.
Lee blinked and reached into one of the many bags he had stacked under the table. "You bet," his voice was muffled as he sorted through the items in the bag. "Robe, robe, hat, book, another book - where the devil has it got to?"
While he searched through his bags, Lemony and George reappeared at the table. "Peppermint, chocolate and raspberry, just how you like it!" announced George, handing the ice-cream to his twin. "Lemony's shout," he added, sliding into the seat next to Lee.
"What's he doing?" Lemony asked, gesturing with her violently aqua and black ice-cream to Lee, who was still rummaging through his bags.
"Looking for his wand - Lemony, what the hell is in that ice-cream?" Fred said all this in one breath, not pausing between phrases, so Lemony blinked slowly at him while trying to decipher what he'd said.
"Umm," she said when she'd reached her conclusion. "Bubblegum and liquorice. I've got my wand too, if you want to see-"
"FOUND IT!" Lee cried happily, waving the thin box above his head in some bizarre victory dance.
"-it if you want..." Lemony trailed off, looking on with interest as Lee pulled the pale stick of wood from the sky-blue velvet. "Wow," she breathed - Lee's wand was almost as cool as her own, in her opinion.
"Eight and a half inches, ash," Lee murmured, twirling the wand slightly. A small fountain of bronze sparks flew from the tip. "Unicorn tail hair,"
"Neat," the twins spoke in unison, looking enviously at the wand.
"Mum says we don't get ours 'til it's time to leave!" exclaimed Fred, George nodding in agreement.
"Well, here's mine," Lemony pulled hers out of her pocket and displayed it proudly. "It took poor old Ollivander almost half an hour to find it. He says my dad's is nearly the same!" Lemony swished the wand and the silvery wood shimmered, silver bubbles pouring out the end. "Eleven inches, silver-birch. Australian Opal Eye heartstring," she slipped it back into her pocket. "I named it Barnaby."
"Of course you did," muttered George, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, don't knock it! At least I didn't kill my brother's puffskien and put 'Bludger-Butt' on the grave!"
"That was Fred's fault! He's the one that said it wouldn't die!" Fred sputtered indignantly as his twin ratted him out.
Lee coughed. "What was its actual name?" The twins fell silent, then began laughing.
"Blossom P. Blossleberry!"
Helena finally managed to pry Amelia away from the dragon eyes, and towed her towards the book shop.
"For the last time Amelia, it did not blink at you!"
"Yes it did! You just don't believe me because you didn't see it!" Amelia huffed, crossing her arms and stamping her foot. A feat exceptionally hard to pull off when one is being pulled by the arm by a stronger (not to mention taller) friend.
"Do we have to go to Flourish and Blotts?" Amelia whined, tripping slightly on the uneven cobblestones.
"Yes!" Helena snapped, crossing the threshold and immediately heading for the potions books.
"But we've already been here twice today - and I wanna go to Eyelops!"
"Amelia, please stop acting like a five year old - you're attracting attention!"
"Where?" the pet shop (if it can be called that) all but forgotten, Amelia swung her head around trying to spot the 'attention'.
"You are so gullible," Helena whispered, sliding a thick tome off the shelf and flipping to the section about transfiguring potions, immediately becoming engrossed in a rather complex spray potion to turn cacti into couches. She'd have to try it once she got to Hogwarts - finally! A way to get rid of her dad's horrid cactus collection AND a way to get her mother a birthday gift without spending any money in one little spray! She was just about to ask Amelia what her opinion was on the plan when Helena noticed one vital flaw - Amelia had wandered off.
"Not again!" Helena cried, frantically stowing the book on the shelf and tearing off to find her friend.
Molly Weasley smiled when she approached the ice-cream parlour and saw her sons joking and laughing with friends. When the twins were little, they never had many friends, preferring to stick with each other. She walked over to them and noticed that poor Lee Jordan had strawberry ice-cream in his hair.
"Scourgify!" she said with a flick of her wand. Lee sighed with relief as the sticky pink mess disappeared from his precious dreads.
"Thanks Mrs. Weasley!" he said, running a hand through the dreads.
"Call me Molly dear," she said for the hundredth time.
"Alright Mrs. Weasley," Lee saluted, then turned to his three friends. "Sorry guys, it's been fun - I mean, I love getting covered in frozen dairy products as much as the next boy - but I've gotta dash, Mum will be looking for me,"
As if reading her son's mind, Valerie Jordan rounded the corner yelling: "Lee Anthony Jordan! There you are!"
"Coming Mum!" Lee cried, sprinting towards the tall black woman, calling over his shoulder: "By Fred, bye George, bye Lemony! Thanks again Mrs. Weasley!"
"Bye Lee!" the twins chorused.
"See ya at Hogwarts!" cried Lemony, slurping up the remains of her ice-cream.
"Right," huffed Molly once Lee had gone. "Who wants to get wands?"
The deafening "ME!" from the twins could be heard throughout the Alley.
After running to almost all the stores in Diagon Alley and turning up nothing, Helena slid down the wall of Eyelop's Owl Emporium and waited, knowing that Amelia would eventually wander over to her favourite store when she got bored.
Helena, however, couldn't be more wrong. As soon as Amelia got bored of the bookstore (something that didn't take very long) she headed in the opposite direction of Eyelop's, towards Ollivander's. Pulling her money bag out, she decided she had enough money to get herself a wand without Helena's father paying for it.
Skipping all the way, she approached the shop, opened the door and giggled when the dusty bell rang. Her eyes widened in wonder at the cramped shelves and the spindly lights and furnishings. Taking a seat on the rickety white chair, she waited to be served.
"Miss Dolohov," a silvery voice floated around the shop. "May I assist you?" Amelia blinked as the owner of the shop, just as thin and spindly as the lights above her, appeared behind the counter.
"Yes, I'd like to buy my wand please..." she trailed off under Ollivander's piercing gaze.
"Certainly," he answered, pulling out his silver marked tape measure. "Hold out your wand arm," she obediently held up her left arm. The tape measure flew at her and began to measure everything it could. She gave a high pitched giggle (out of nerves mainly) when it measured the shell of her ear.
Meanwhile, Ollivander was pulling boxes off the shelf and piling them on the counter. "Try...this one!" he said, flourishing a goldish coloured wand. "Thirteen inches, beach, unicorn tail hair. Whippy, good for Transfiguration!" he handed it to her. Amelia waved it and nothing happened.
Ollivander tapped his chin, and pulled out a box that was twice the size of a normal wand box. "Try this." The second wand a mossy brown wand. "Ten and a quarter inches, olive, manticore quill, very rare..."
She picked it up and again, nothing happened. "How about that?" she pointed at a faded plum coloured box. Ollivander arched an eyebrow, but pulled the wand out anyway.
"Eleven and three quarter inches, willow. Phoenix tail feather core. Springy, good for Charms," he said, somewhat stiffly. He was about to hand it to her when the bell jingled again and the Weasleys (plus Lemony) entered the store. "Just a moment," said Ollivander, turning back to Amelia. She took the wand and waved it.
Warmth spread up her arm as a shower of purple flowers fell softly from the tip. "Hmmm," muttered Ollivander, making a note on a scrap of parchment. "Your mother did the same..."
"Huh?" said Amelia, twirling the wand around to see if the flowers would change colour. Ollivander shook his head, and smiled at the childish expression on her face.
Amelia paid for her wand and left the store, spotting Helena sullenly sitting outside Eyelop's. "Helena!" she called running over.
When the shop's door had swung closed, Ollivander turned his gaze on the new customers. "Ahh, the Weasley family. How are you Molly? Arthur?"
They answered with 'Well, thankyou's and such. "We're here to get Fred and George's wands," Molly told him happily, motioning to the twins. Ollivander turned his eyes on them.
"The spitting images of Gideon and Fabian..."
"Yes they are, and just as much of a handful!" Molly declared. "Though," she added in a more sombre tone. "I would've liked for them to have their old wands, but they were destroyed in the...in the...attack..." her voice wavered, and Bill put a hand on his mother's shoulder.
The shop's owner nodded sadly. "Yes, such a shame, fine wands, fine lads. I remember selling them - AH!" he hurriedly moved some of the boxes he'd had out for Amelia and picked up the large box again. "If I remember correctly, these two almost worked for them, but not quite..." he handed the mossy brown wand to George. It sputtered softly, and a single gold star fell out. "Yeees..." Ollivander grabbed it off George and handed it to Fred. The wand didn't sputter, a single star didn't fall out. A torrent of golden stars spilled towards the polished wood floor. Fred laughed giddily and watched them dance.
Ollivander repeated what he'd said to Amelia: "Ten and a quarter inches, olive, manticore quill." He pulled the second wand out of the box and handed it to George. Nothing happened. Fred tilted his head and George frowned. Ollivander took it back and looked it over. A look of surprise crossed his face.
"I must have put it in the wrong box," he said incredulously, pulling another box off the shelf and swapping the wands. "Try this one," he said, still shocked from putting a wand in the wrong box. No wonder he'd been feeling...off...lately. "Honestly, how could I mistake Twelve inches, gum and thestral hair for twelve inches, oak and manticore quill?..." he handed the dark brown wand to George, who was, along with Fred, shaking with silent laughter at the look on the old wandseller's face.
George held the wand and gasped when black starts shot out the tip of his wand to join Fred's rapidly vanishing gold ones on the floor. "Yes, yes, yes!" Ollivander exclaimed. "Your uncle's did the same! Excellent, excellent! You two will do extraordinary things with those wands!"
The twins exchanged evil smirks. "Oh yes, we will..."