–CHAPTER 2 –
THE SECRETS IN THE WAND
Camden Roes was the most beautiful girl Albus had ever seen in his life. When he saw her at Florrish and Blotts he thought she was an angel. She had milky white skin, bright blue eyes, and a long wavy platinum blond hair. Her lips were beatifully well designed and bright red in contrast to her exceptionaly pale skin. He had bumped into her when he was looking for the transfiguration textbook. He wasn't even able to say sorry, he just stood there starring at her. She starred back. He had tried to smile, but it probably came off as a grimace since she turned on the spot and walked back the way she had come. After a moment of readjusting himself he walked back to the counter where Aunt Mya was collecting book from his cousin's arms and settling them on the counter. Camden Roes was at the counter as well, in hand with a short, brown haired, curvy woman.
"Did you find it Albus?" his aunt asked, snapping him from his thoughts about how perfect Camden's hair cascaded down her back.
"Find what?"
"Your book? A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. You didn't find it?" Rose, his cousin, was at her mother's side looking at him with myrth, trying (and failing myserably) not to laugh at him.
"Oh, er...no." He had forgotten all about the book.
"That's all right." Said the man behind the counter, an old man with large crooked glasses. "I think I have some left in the deposit. This time of year these book seem to fly out off the shells." The man disapeared into the backroom.
"Last minute shopping, too?"Asked the woman who was holding hands with Camden, she had a kind smille and was dressed in muggle clothing.
"Yes, buying first year books for my daughter and nephew." Answere Aunt Mya.
"Oh me too! This is my daughter, Camden. I'm Diane Roes. Muggle." Mrs. Roes said with smile and a quick laugh as she exdended her hand and Aunt Mya shook it.
"Hermione Granger. And this is my daughter Rose and Nephew Albus. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mrs. Roes sent both him and Rose a warm smile. Her eyes were the same perfect blue of Camden's eyes. "Are you by any change related to the Roes that work at the Improper Use of Magic Office?"
"Oh yes. Anthony Roes. His my husband, he's at work now. Are you a college of his?"
Albus could not take his eyes off of her. Camden had now wondered to a shell of books labled Fictitious Muggle Fiction, reading the backcover of Mr. Wollohezez's Trip to Work Using The Tube by Wanda Woogough. He could just spend all day looking at her, admiring her golden hair...Albus only stopped starring when he heard his Aunt call for him, she was already out the door. Wasn't she just talking to Camden's mum? He looked up at the woman who gave him a smile and a wave, then he turned around and walked out of the store.
"Are you allright there Al?"His aunt asked.
"Er... yeah." he answred and quickly remember. "My transfiguration book! We didn't get it!" he was ansious to get back inside the store. Any reason was a good reason to go back.
"It's here Al, it's here. The manager got from the stock." Aunt Mya grabbed the book from one of the bags to show him.
"Oh." was all he manage. He didn't remember seeing the man from the counter return from the backroom.
"Really Al, what's gotten into you? Fallen in love have you? Camden, over there, strikes your fancy?" Rose taunted him gesturing to the shop.
"Shut it, Rose!" Al barked at her.
"Come on, by now you're mother's probably finished shopping with James." Aunt Mya said to Albus as she handed him his bag with books. She turner to Rose giving her her bags "And your father is probably waiting for us at the store."
"Mother, do you think we can buy me a new pair of robes? I saw this one pair at Lavender's Outlooks, they are so cute! They have these buttons on the side-" Rose skipped ahead of her mother lifting her hands filled with bags, attempting to show exactly where the buttons on the robe where, but Aunt Mya didn't seem interested as she just kept walking determined to get to Uncle George's store quickly.
"Sweety, we bought you a new pair of robes last week. And you certainly don't need anymore." Rose face turned from a smile to a frown, her shoulders hunched as she allowed her mother to walk in front of them.
Rose sulked the rest of the trip. Even when they meet Albus' mum in Uncle George's shop she didn't lighten up. James, Albus' older brother, who had been shopping with their mother, tried making her laugh by making Lily's pigtails spin like a windmill with the Spinster Sticker. But Rose didn't find it amusing. She even snubbed him for using his own sister for pranks, ignoring the fact that Lily actually liked being pranked.
Lily was Albus'and James' younger sister. She was 9 and she worshiped the floor James walked on. Albus knew James was Lily's favorite brother but rhat didn't bother knew that she was more attached to James because he was away most of the year. But now he would too, leaving Lily alone with their parents and sometime Hugo (Rose's brother)when he would go and visit them. He couldn't help but wonder if, when they returned from Hogwarts, who would she choose to spend more time with? Either way it didn't matter. Albus knew that while Lily always went to James for a good laugh or just to burn some energy, she went to Albus when she wanted to talk about the new toy wands she bought (she had a collection of fake wands ) and it was to Albus' room she'd always go whenever she had nightmares. On days out, like Diagon Ally, however, she'd always go with James, because she knew he would have a thing or two planned especifficaly to make their parents red in the face.
When Albus caught up his mother at the store, it seemed James had already done something. Her normally well kept red hair was wild and sticking at odd ends, as if she had been running her hands through it, her face was flushed and her sleaves rolled up (which was never a good sign, as the Potter children learned over the years). Even Uncle George, who usually could calm down his sister, was clearly avoiding the Potter matriarch.
Thirty minutes later the entire family, save Albus'and Rose's fathers, were on the streets. Ginny and Lily were going to stop by the Ice Cream Parlour while Aunt Mya took Albus and Rose to get their wands, but Albus'sister seemed to be the only nine yar old that prefered to go a wand shop rather then eat ice cream.
"But I wanna see them get their wands, mum!" Lily sulked.
"Lily, dear, it's a small shop. We don't need – "
"Are You Taking them to Alfradique's? Or to Sully's? There's also Driget down the street, but I don't like him much. Sully's really good, but he only works with 3 wood types and many strange cores, but his shafts are really pretty. There is this one I saw on his catalog that was carved with hundreds of small flowers, it was really pretty, but it was made of yew. They say it isn't good to decorate a yew wand too much. But I think the best is Alfradique 'cause he learned with Ollivander, and he was the best –"
"ALRIGHT, WE'LL GO!" Ginny yelled she knew that once she started her rambling on wands there was no way to stop her. Lily wasn't fased by her mother's yelling, instead she had plastered on her face a gooffy smile that reminded Ginny too much of Ron.
They got at the shop just as the sun was starting to set, the crowd on the streets were thining, but inside Alfradique's Wand Shop it was overly crowded. On their way to the wand shop they bumped into Ron, Rose's Dad, and Hugo, her brother, talking to Albus' Godfather and Hogwarts Professor, Neville Longbottom, who was accompanying a muggleborn first year.
The girl he was with looked like a boy. She had short darkbrown hair and was wearing denim overalls that were too big for her, and a heavy set of dirty boots and an old purple cloche hat with an ugly blue flower on it. But she gave him a friendly smile and extended her hand out for him when she learned that he, too, was a first year. "My name's Gigi. Gigi St. Claire." Albus shook her hands notecing her Scottish accent.
"Albus." He said simply.
"I'm Rose."Rose cut in taking the new girls hand and shaking it. "It's my first year too. Have you gotten your wand yet?"
"Not yet, we were still looking for some books. They're very peculier, the books. Some were hard to find." The girl answered.
"We were heading there now when we met Ron."Added Neville. "Have you got your wand, Al?"
Before Al could answere his mother who was being insistently pulled by Lily cut in "We're heading to Alfradique's now. the kids are getting a bit restless."
"Well, we were going for Driget's shop."Neville said, looking divided between joining his friends or taking the girl to Driget's.
Lily stopped her pushing. "But Alfradique's is better. Besided Driget's probably closed now. His is the first shop to close Diagon Ally. He's a lazy bum."
"Lily!" Ginny called at her daughter.
Neville looked at he wrist watch and agreed that Driget's shop had probably already closed. "That leaves Alfradique's shop."
Lily gave a cheerfull yelp to which the girl, Gigi, tugged on Neville's robes making him hunch over leveling with her. She whispered something in his ear and looked worried. Neville smiled at her and replied with a quiet "We'll manage."
The group, at first tried to stay all inside the shop, but it proved unmanageable. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione voluntered to stay outside with James. Uncle Ron was a bit more resistent, but nontheless pretended to be content in watching his eldest daughter get her first wand from the window. Inside was the 3 kids who were getting their wands: Albus, Rose and Gigi. Lily was there only because no one was able to convince the kid to leave. Not even with candy bribes or gift certificates from the Weasley's Wizard Weezes. Ginny was there as the responsible for Al and Rose, and Neville was there for Gigi.
"Who'll be the first?"Asked Alfradique. He was a man that was difficult to say the age. He had young eyes, but the wrincke in his face told another story. He was quite agile as he moved around the store to look for Rose's wand, who insited in being the first. Measuring tapes flyed around her as Alfradique looked on the many shelfs of the small place, turning back every now and then to see what the tape was meassuring. "Alright, young lady, let's try this one." He took a white wodden wand from a box handing it to Rose. "This is a 11 inch – "
"Cherry wood! Isn't it? It's Cherry! I bet it's unicorn hair!" Lily shouted. Ginny sent her a stern glance, but she seemed imune. Lily had eyes only to the wand.
"Er..well, not quite," said Alfradique, "it's oakwood. But you right about the unicorn hair."he added quickly giving the girl a surprised smile to which she returned. "10 inch oakwood, with the core of a unicore tail hair. A bit springy."
Rose angrily swished her wand, clearly not happy that Lily had interupted her spotlight. A paper that had been laying lazingly on the table rose only to be burst into flames. Alfradique quickly to the wand from her. "Clearly not this one."
"Try a 10 1/2 inch wand. They say that when the wand is too big it can get agressive." Lily interupted again, and again received a warning look from her mother. Rose looked like she would have rather swished the wand at Lily.
Alfradique, however, thought it amusing, and gave in to the child's will. "A 10 ½ you say? Let's see" he went back to another shelf. Lily was now jumping on her spot. "10 ½ inch, cherry,"Lily squealed "Hippogriff's talon, pleasently supple." He gave the wand to Rose who took it looking solemnly nauseated. She flicked the wand towards some shelf that stood close to where Lily was, but the boxes trembled slightly, some of them falling to the floor. "What do you think?" Alfradique questioned Lily, who was positivly beaming with happiness.
"it's the right size but wrong core." she said fast.
"Oh no, the core is right."Lily's face dropped, but Alfradique quickly remedied it, "Let's see then, if the Core is right what needs to change?"
"The wood, the size and the strengh." She recited, the smile returning to her face.
"Very good!" he went over to yet another shell grabbing a box on the very top "how about a 10 ¾ inch, Holly?"
"Holly? For Rose? Nahh"Lily shook her head violently. Rose was now fuming at the young girl.
Alfradique laughed, "Let's just give it a try. It's bit pliable, I think you'll find it rather conforting."
Rose again took the wand looking very frustrated and gave it a swish and the object on the table rose elegantly in the air. "this is it." She whispered looking awestruck. "This is my wand!"she said louder. "Mum! Dad! This is my WAND!" she called at the window where her parent had been watching the entire time smiling and clapping for her.
It was the same process for Albus. Alfradique started off with a wand (11 ½ inch, ash, dragon heart-string) making Lily guess what it was, and when it didn't work he would ask her what should change. Lily suggested they try one with demiguise hair, Alfradique was amused at the girl's knowledge and gave in to her whim, but as he had predicted it was too weak for Al, who, in the end, got and 11 inch Hawthorn Phoenix feather ( "Just like Dad's!" he called to his mum), supple with a knobby surface. It was perfect, the wand complimented him like he never thought possible.
Ginny payed for the wands, giving Rose's hers as a way of apologising for Lily's behavior. "We should go now. You're father is probably getting off work right now. I told him we were to meet for dinner." Ginny stirred Lily away from the counter thanking the man for his pacience, Albus was already outside holding his box close to his chest. Only when he looked back at the shop did he see Neville and girl starting to pick a wand. She looked nervous, no doubt intimidated by Lily's thorough knowledge of wandlore.
Truth was that everybody, was flabegasted by Lily's obcession with wands. She had quite a collectio of toy wands and different store catalogs. She even asked her Godmother Luna to bring her from abroad, during her many travels, different catalogs and books on the local types of cores and woods. Even though Lily had never really read any of her books entirely, it was still impressive that she had manage to remember so much information on the subject. It was even more impressive considering that she sometime couldn't even remember to put her socks on.
His trunk was all packed and Al was ready to go. Having packed all the book, suplies and robes he'd bought earlier in the week, Albus Potter found his room to be quite empty. He couldn't believe he would be finnaly leaving home to go to Hogwarts. At the same time that he could wait to get on Hogwarts Express he was a bit scared. It wouldn't be easy living miles away from Mum and Dad, sure he had loads of cousins that were already there, and he would have Rose in his year..but still, the butterflies in his stomach told him that he was a bit aprehensive. Running a hand throught his heplessly messy hair he looked around one last time, cheking if he had packed everything. OK, robes, books, caldron, set of crystal phials, gloves, cloak –
A loud BANG came from behind Al, and through the door came James and Lily holding some of Uncle George's toy wand that when swished a rubber snake would burst from the tip. They sang and dance all the way to Al's bed where they started to jump and continually swishing the wands, more rubber snakes flying from the tips. They sang loud, and each was singing in different tunes to the old Hogwarts song:
Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy, warty, Hogwarts
Teach us something please
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees
AND OUR DEAR ALBUS WILL BE IN SLYTHERIN
They screamed the last made up portion of the song, completely overpowering Al's crys for them to get down from him bed. Realizing that they wouldn't listen to him, he took one of his pillows and hit James right at the back of his head making him fall, boucning on the bed. Al knew there would be retaliation. A pillow war had just started.
As Albus and James kept throwing well aimed pillows at each other, Lily kept singing the song swishing the wands and dodging the occasional pillow thrown her way. She let out a loud humorouse laugh when James abandoned the pillow and grabbed Albus' head in a lock.
"Get off, James!"came Al's protests.
"I AM THE SORTING HAT!" James bellowed, not even budging from Al's struggles to get loose. "Let's take a look inside that empty head of yours" he continued with a deep husky voice. Al's protests became higher when James started giving him a nuggie.
"G'OFF, James!"
"Ahh, we have a cry-baby!" James howlered, Lily Laughed, still jumping, but stopping at time to catch her breath, Al kept struggling, "And a Whinner! I'll say, you belong in SLYTHERIN!"
Lily jumped higher, letting out new howles of laughter. Al manage to get losse and quickly grabbed the pillow James had dropped and aimed a perfect hit to James head. James laughed histericly "Only telling what I see! Don't kill the messenger, mate!" he too grabbed a pillow restarting the fight. Al tried not to laugh but couldn't help himself.
"What about me, James? What's my house?" Lily giggled wanting badly to join in the fight.
Al and James stopped for a small fraction and exchanged mishcieviouse smiled. They turned to Lily when James said, "You'll be a Huffle PUFF" and Lily was thrown into the matress by James' powerfull pillow. Albus joined in, Lily's childish high pitched laugh was clearly heard over her brother's .
"But let's- not- forget" Al said in between blows "about RavenCLAW" he dropped his pillowd and started tickling her, James followed as Lily's mixed cryes of "Nooo"and laughs were heard.
"Stop! That's not fair!" she yelled in between histerical laughs, trying to sound serious. The boys payed her no mind.
"WHAT IS ALL THIS RACKET?" Al's mother bursted in the room, her arms crossed. Al and James stopped immediately, but Lily kept on laughing. She only stopped whe Al nudged her. "it's passed eleven, and tomorrow we wake up early." She looked all her children.
Al could hardly hear what she was saying, he was much more occupied in trying to hold on to his mirth. James was on the same boat, but doing a much poor job. Al could hear him laughing quietly, which just made him want to laugh even hearder. Lily, too, was quickly trying to hold on. Of course, Ginny noticed.
"James, have you finished packing?" she narrowed her eyes at him. James sobered up, but with and apolegedic smiled said,
"It's a work in progress…"
"Then I suggest you go finish it. Would be a shame if you lost the train because you couldn't find your lucky socks."
"But I don't have a lucky socks!" he said indignantly, apparently forgetting he was being scolded.
"James, GO!" and he was quickly reminded. James jumped up and ran out the door.
"Lily – " She started.
"Do you want me to go and pack too?" she said, hope shinning through her eyes.
"What? No! You still got two year before Hogwarts. Go clean your room, there's wands everywhere. Bursh your teeth and straight to bed!" Lily mumbled incoherently and walked out.
"And you – "
"All packed!" he said quickly, poiting to his trunk that stood by his writign desk.
"Go to bed, then. Get some rest." She said sternly.
"Hey Al,"James popped by his mother, re-entering Al's room. James didn't see Ginny taking in a deep breath. "Why don't you go SlytherIN to bed while I walk out the GryffinDOOR" he walked back out, breaking into a run from his mother. Al let out a laugh, but contained it when his mother sent him a glare. But Al didn't fail to see, as she was closing the door ( no dooubt heading to James' room next) a small smile playing at her lips.
Hope you guys liked it so far. Pleas tell me what you think! Just leave a nice little review telling me if I should continue! Thanks!