Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

A/N: thanks to all my reviewers, here is the next chapter, enjoy

Vault Number One

He left the robes shop and began walking towards the only place left where he might find what he needed. Ollivander's wand shop. As they passed the Owl Emporium Nashira growled and hunkered down. This action startled several pedestrians around them, but he ignored any save the tiger. Out of the corner of his eye he saw one particular bird. The creature was a perfect example of a snowy owl and it stared down at Nashira as if it were a queen inspecting a peasant. Nashira, unused to such scrutiny, especially from what she would normally consider prey, did not take to this well.

"Now now, Nashira. Where are your manners? That bird does not belong to us and I am not in the mood to pay for such a creature when it will only end up your snack." He admonished the great white cat. With one last glare at the owl, Nashira very pointedly turned her gaze to the opposite side of the street. He ran a hand down her back to smooth out her hackles that were still slightly raised. "Allow the bird its illusions, we both know who is the mightier hunter." He added and Nashira calmed down fully. By the time they reached the wand shop, the white tiger was back to her normal self.

The door chimed with a faint sound as man and tiger entered Ollivanders. He breathed deeply and immediately felt calm. This shop always held a strong aurora of magic about the building, strong enough that Nashira sneezed at the denseness of it as if it were a particularly strong odor.

"Good afternoon," a voice said from the depths of the shop and he waited patiently for the speaker to reveal themselves.

"Hello," he said, meeting silvery eyes in greeting.

"What can I do for you?" Ollivander asked, not seeming surprised to find a cloaked wizard and huge tiger in his rather confined and cluttered shop.

"I made a request for a very specific wand a few months ago and I was told to pick it up today."

"Oh yes!" Ollivander exclaimed brightly before rushing off to the back of the shop. The wand maker came back with a very ordinary looking, long, thin box. He took the box from Ollivander and opened it almost reverently.

"Strange request. Exactly twelve inches, petrified wood, hard to find, with a gryphon's wing feather as the magical core. It took me a while to find the materials needed, but I found them." Ollivander babbled, but he paid no attention. He already knew what materials he had requested and he knew they were rare and unorthodox. Still, he was not a true wizard, and the magic he had was very unorthodox for a wizard's spells. It had also been a long time since he had held a wand and he wanted it to be exactly like the one he had lost. He extracted the wand from its case carefully and smiled slightly when it hummed in recognition of its owner in his hand. The smooth shaft of dark wood was unusually heavy for a wand, but that would not be a problem for him. The surface of it was smooth and un-cracked, a clean slate. He would of course have to add his own enchantments in the form of carved runes and ancient words of power to it, but that was to be done latter, in privacy.

"Thank you," he told the wand maker, "And here are the ten Galleons I promised you."

Ollivander pocketed the coins as he left the shop, Nashira at his heels. He walked out into the middle of the street, grabbed Nashira by the scruff of the neck, making sure he grabbed the chain as well, and apparated out of Diagon Alley. He reappeared in a remote clearing in the middle of a nearly uninhabited forest. He quickly placed wards of hiding and protection around the clearing, making sure none would stumble upon him and this clearing. It would take the better part of a month to complete the marks of power on his new wand and he did not want to be interrupted in the process. None would be able to find, enter, or see inside the clearing until he lowered the wards. None would be able to accidentally enter by magical means either. The clearing was effectively cut off from the rest of the world both magical and muggle.

He sighed. Only here would he find the privacy and quiet he needed to complete his task. Nashira rubbed up against him in the friendly manner of cats before curling up at the base of a nearby tree. The tree the tiger had chosen was one of the few in the center of the perfect ring of trees that bordered the clearing. At the center of the warded space was an elliptical pool of clear water. The pool was shallow, but deep enough to reflect what happened above it. It was by this pool now, that he set out the tools he would need to complete his wand. Drawing forth from his ancient store of magical power, he set an enchantment on the small pool.

The next week, he simply left his wand to soak in the enchanted water, softening the wood and instilling more magical properties into it. Nashira left now and again to hunt, but for the most part the two subsisted on what he could conjure. The wards protected the clearing from the elements and remaining there was actually quite pleasant for them. It took an additional two weeks to carve all of the necessary symbols into the wood of the wand so that none intersected at the wrong point and they all combined to created a harmonious whole. This was not much of a problem as he had much practice at this and had preformed the proper procedure many times before. Near the end of the month, the wand was nearly complete and he needed only to wait for the last phase of the moon to occur to preform the last enchantment. When the moon was fully dark, he called Nashira over and carefully removed his treasured Azraq from its setting. He dipped it into the water and the liquid began to glow a deep silver at the contact. After moments he removed the stone, still dripping with the silvery liquid, and touched it to the central pattern on his wand. It was an ancient spiral design, a form of the endless knot, a Celtic pattern used to symbolize longevity. As the silvery liquid dripped from the stone and into the inscription, all of the inscribed symbols and patterns that interconnected with each other to create one single design began to emit a soft silvery glow much like the pool. He withdrew the stone and wiped the remaining liquid off before returning it to Nashira's collar. The lines that he had carved into the shaft of his wand remained glowing silver and he knew they would remain like that until the never ending pattern of lines on the surface was broken by a crack or a more severe break. Without giving it any further thought, he pocketed his wand and returned his gaze to the pool.

He gazed deeply into the magicked pool and reached out a single finger. As the tip of his finger brushed the silvery liquid it began to swirl and darken. After moments he could make out shapes in it. He muttered words of power in a long forgotten language and the image in the magicked pool grew clearer. It appeared to be an article or clipping from the Daily Prophet, but the date was written as some time in the future. In addition to the date, one other thing caught his attention. "Break in at Gringotts! Dark Wizards or Witches Suspected" the headline read. He focused more on the fine print. It was, or was going to be, a high security vault. He looked for the vault number and was only partially relieved when it was not vault one. The vault robbed did not reassure him, however. The vault in question was number 713, the home of one Sorcerer's Stone. He himself had laid down some of the stronger protections against theft on that vault. It was very bad if there was someone out there capable of breaking his wards. He pulled out of the vision and as dawn broke, the silvery sheen that had been cast on the water of the pool faded along with any magical properties the water might have gained. He leaned back, deep in thought. The article had said that the vault had been emptied earlier that day, most likely by someone under Dumbledore's orders. Perhaps it was about time he paid the old wizard a visit.

"Come, Nashira," he said to his feline friend as he let the wards around the clearing drop, "We have a train to catch."

A/N: There it is, don't forget to review!