Chapter Four – Diagon Alley

As we departed, Harry asked me "okay, where are we going. I know you're really excited, but that really hurt when you elbowed me, and I was trying to follow a train of thought in questioning Mr. Malfoy."

"I shouldn't have done that. I admit I was overexcited when Lucius was talking about Bella's wand. Remember, Mum said the wand that was stolen from Mr. Filch wasn't Bella's. She should know, she fought Bella. We have only McGonagall's memory that Bella had a Rowan wand. She probably just said that because it was so well known that Bella was crazy."

"You have an excellent point and I agree that we should go to Ollivander's. But, instead of whacking me, you could have just waited your turn and asked Lucius if he knew about a Rowan wand which was important enough to be worth stealing."

"Yes, I suppose I could have done that. Please, stop being upset at me."

As we were riding down the Ministry elevator, I touched Harry's wrist to assure myself that he was no longer upset. Unfortunately, he still seemed annoyed and I could sense that his rib still hurt, when he turned to leave the elevator.

I tried to chatter Harry into a better mood as we walked to Ollivander's. He answered back in a lot of shorter sentences than I was using, but his mood did seem to be brightening, especially when I led him toward speculation about what Mr. Ollivander might tell us.

Mr. Ollivander was a little surprised to see us but reacted very well to what I feared he would regard as an unethical question.

"So, you want to know who owned a Witch's Rowan wand with a Phoenix core," Ollivander repeated my question in a musing, but not offended tone. "There is confidentiality between wandmaker and customer, but if you say this is part of your fight against the Death Eaters, then I will answer you."

"I really think it is," Harry replied, before launching into the full explanation of how this wand came to our attention.

"Yes… I can tell you what I know. The Death Eaters broke their customer relationship with me when I was kidnapped. The rowan and the phoenix… that combination is very rare. It is viewed as most embarrassing to require such a wand, but Rowan and Phoenix can be a most powerful combination. The Phoenix makes any rod stronger, but few can manage it. Rowan is another matter. Some say a sign of madness, but not always. If not madness, it certainly does require a deep and persistent anguish to adapt to a Rowan wand. Still, customers usually will not accept such a wand. I don't need to check my records. I remember the particulars of this wand quite well. I made it as a second wand for Narcissa Malfoy, while she was still a Hogwarts student. She and her parents came to my shop a week after the start of the Hogwarts term. It was her seventh year. Her wand no longer would perform magic for her and she feared that she would not graduate. She and her parents were most upset. She was not mad, but not at all the Narcissa I had known. I tried many wands like the one that I originally matched her with, but her magic was feeble at best. Reluctantly, I tried the Rowan. I knew her parents would object, and so they did. They made me try every Witch's wand in my shop, but the only wands that worked were Rowan. The Phoenix core was the best. She did quite well with it. Her mother was prepared to storm out of my shop, saying that I had impugned the honour of her family. She said I was incompetent. The father said that Narcissa must graduate and that this was likely only a temporary situation. They made me stain the wand to disguise its true nature. When they left my shop, the mother said, 'I think this looks quite like Walnut'. The father just walked faster.

"I had tried to be encouraging. I certainly did not want to insult good customers. I told them that this sort of thing happened from time to time and usually was caused by a momentary upset. I said I guessed that Narcissa would be able to use her original wand by the time she returned home for the Christmas break. I asked whether poor Narcissa had experienced a recent trauma or severe upset. I got glares instead of answers. I still remember that day. I know nothing more, other than that Narcissa stopped using the Rowan wand two years later. She visited me to be, as she said 'refit, with an appropriate wand'. She came alone – I think she feared that I would tell her mother that the Rowan was best for her. As I expected, her original wand was best. She had returned to calm Narcissa. Sad, but in complete control."

"Thank you, that is a tremendous help," I told Olivander. "We've been led astray by McGonagall's false memory that the Rowan wand belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange."

"No, no, mad for certain that one was, but always able to control a normal wand. An easy mistake for the professor to make."

"Thank you again," Harry said. "Is Seamus in the shop?"

"I sent him shopping for Phoenix feathers. He'll be back in two or three hours if you care to wait. I can make tea."

"No thank you, we have to get back to Hogwarts. I just wanted to tell both of you while it appears as though the phoney Elder Wand has been stolen from its hiding place."

"Ah, the fun begins. I eagerly await further news. Goodbye, Harry."

We stepped back into Diagon Alley, joined hands, and were gone. This contact reassured me that Harry was both excited by what we had learned and back to his happy mood.

As we landed just inside the gate, Harry suggested "let's not tell Professor McGonagall about the Rowan wand just yet."