Chapter 4 You Only Need One
It just wasn't working.
And the day had started out so well too. She'd managed to get a few hours of sleep, which she never would've expected the night before a day like this, but it had. She'd woken up feeling totally rested, something else that almost never happened, and ready to face whatever this day might throw at her. Shanjavi, the snake who always slept beside her bed, had been none too pleased at the early wakeup, but she had ignored him, though she had even done that more politely than usual. After that she'd done everything right, just to be on the safe side. She'd washed her face, brushed her teeth, gotten dressed, and even combed her long white hair all before breakfast, making it three things that almost never happened. Today was finally the day. At long last, she would be getting her very own wand. Daddy had always told her that wands chose their owners. How they chose Lily was not exactly sure, but she thought she ought to do something this morning to try and impress them. She would go to Diagon Alley and a wand would choose her, no doubt impressed by her morning hygiene routine, and she would finally become the responsible, grown-up, Hogwarts-going witch she was supposed to be. And if what it took for a wand to choose her was for her to be someone who brushed her teeth in the morning before breakfast, well then that was who Lily Luna Potter was going to be.
Well, it wasn't working.
The morning had gotten even better when Lily went downstairs. Mum surprised her with her favourite breakfast— piles of everything… except eggs, which were gross. Lily cheerfully helped herself to huge heaping helpings of sausage, toast, beans, fried tomatoes, potatoes and, of course, bacon, which was her favourite. Daddy had frowned at her, asking her if she could really eat all that. She'd just laughed at his foolishness. Her daddy might be the famous Harry Potter, known and beloved around the world for his victories over dark wizards, but he would simply never understand her love of food. Well, Lily had admitted reluctantly to herself as she had refilled her plate, he might have had a point. There were days when her appetite was completely gone, and she'd go the entire day on nothing but water… but this was most certainly not one of those days. This was a good day, and a good day was meant to be celebrated with bacon, lots and lots of bacon. Truth be told, she hadn't quite finished all of the food on her plate, but she got through most of it, and she definitely ate more than her brothers. James and Albus had only picked at their food, both so anxious that Lily could almost taste it… or rather would have been able to taste it if she hadn't been so stuffed. Maybe getting seconds hadn't been such a good idea, no matter how amazing Mum's bacon was.
The rest of the morning had not been nearly as great as breakfast, as Lily spent most of her time pacing around, waiting for it to be time to go meet her cousin Hugo at Diagon Alley. The old Lily might have been bothered by this, complaining about how unbearably boring it was to have to just wait around, especially on a day like this. The old Lily might have sulked, or tried to pester her parents to just go already, or started irritating Al out of sheer boredom, but the new, improved, wand-ready Lily did none of those things. She simply paced in elegant, dignified silence, stomping her feet in frustration only once or twice… or maybe three or four times at the very most.
And yet, somehow, despite all of that, it still wasn't working. She shouldn't have even bothered.
They had gone to Diagon Alley around noon, just like they'd all agreed, but Hugo, Rosie and Auntie Hermione were running late. Uncle Ron wouldn't be coming, as this was one of the busiest times of the year for the joke shop he ran with her Uncle George. He had pulled her aside the night before, though, and given her some of his famous Uncle Ron wisdom. Don't worry about how long it takes you to find the right wand, Tiger Lily. He had said seriously. These things take time. And remember, you don't need all the wands to like you. You only need one. Lily had repeated that line over and over again to herself as she had paced back and forth waiting. One. She only needed one.
Lily had grown tired of waiting for Hugo and her Auntie, so she had insisted that Daddy and Mum take her straight away. That had turned out to be a mistake. She had tried so hard to be a good girl, and then it was all gone in an instant of impatience. Things had started to go badly almost the second Lily walked into the wand shop. First she nearly fell over walking inside, so nervous and excited at the same time that she tripped over literally nothing. She caught herself just in time, face burning bright red with embarrassment. Thankfully, Daddy and Mum were busy saying hello to the witch standing behind the counter and James was busy frowning out the window at something, so Lily making a complete butt of herself went almost unnoticed. Almost. Only Al, whose sharp, stupid green eyes never ever missed a thing, definitely saw her almost fall flat on her face. Being Al, she'd thought that he would make one of his snarky jokes that he thought was funny even though it really wasn't and she would have to snap at him or smack him right across his big, stupid face, but instead her brother just smiled faintly, shook his head silently and said nothing.
That, obviously, was even worse.
Her brothers, especially Al, were unsufferable when they were teasing her, but when they were holding back to spare her feelings because they felt bad for her, well, that was beyond unsufferable.
Lily longed to say something to her brother, to snark as snarkily as anyone had ever snarked, but she stopped herself. It was widely known that a good witch did not snark at anyone, not even her idiot brother, and she couldn't afford to be anything but the goodest of good witches. Not today. So, instead of saying any of the many, many nasty comments that sprang to mind, Lily just straightened herself up as if nothing had happened and smiled as sweetly as she could manage right back at her brother's big, stupid face.
"Welcome to Ollivanders, my dear," the super thin woman who Lily thought looked almost like a skeleton said in a soft voice that made Lily feel a little sleepy, despite how hyper she'd been all day. Lily remembered her vaguely from the first two times she'd been to the wand shop when her brothers had gotten their own wands. To be perfectly honest, though, she didn't remember much from either of those times. When James had gotten his wand she'd spent most of the time crying, convinced that her big brother would forget all about her the second he got to school. The second time, when Al had picked his wand, Lily had been in such a temper that she wasn't old enough to go to Hogwarts herself that Mum'd had to take her outside and she'd missed almost the whole thing. Thinking back on it now, Lily almost couldn't believe she'd ever been so childish. She felt herself go red again and hoped that the wands in the shop didn't remember that little tantrum, or that they hadn't been watching her at the time. She hadn't the faintest idea of how the whole wand choosing thing worked, but she couldn't imagine any wand bonding to her if it had any memory of that particular day.
She really should have put more effort into this whole good witch business before this morning. Swallowing, she thought of what Uncle Ron had said. You only need one.
"I am Madame Ollivander, though you may call me Cordelia," Skeleton Woman continued calmly, totally unaware that Lily was hardly paying her the slightest attention. She gave Lily an odd little flash of teeth that was probably meant to be a reassuring smile but looked more like someone about to have a dental exam. Not that Lily had all that much experience with muggle dentists, having only been that one time at her Auntie Hermione's insistence, but that one time was more than enough. Both of Auntie's parents, apparently, had once been dentists, and they had been horrified that the children had never had their teeth "properly" checked. Never mind that magic could easily fix nonsense like cavities and crooked teeth, Lily had been forced to go once, a few years back. Once and only once. When they finally let her go, Lily had screamed as loud as she could that she would never go back to that man with his cherry-flavoured tooth-torturer, not ever. Thankfully Daddy had listened to her and never made her go back, no matter how hard Auntie pestered him about it. Rose and Hugo weren't so lucky though, and she knew Auntie dragged them to see the bad man twice a year. Lily shivered at the very thought of it.
"Are you cold, dear," Mum asked, shooting her daughter a concerned look.
"I, er, no… I'm fine," Lily said, realizing that her mind had been wandering quite a bit and snapping it back to focus. Getting a wand, she told herself sternly as she brushed her white bangs out of her eyes, that's what matters today, not dentists.
"Don't go pushing yourself too hard, Lily-Bean," Mum said in that tone she always used when she told Lily not to push herself too hard; the one that sounded as if she thought Lily might literally break at any second.
Lily hated that tone… and that stupid, unsufferable nickname.
"I said I'm fine, Mum," Lily snapped, though she regretted it immediately. Mum gave her a hurt look, and Lily knew she wasn't being fair. After all, it's not like Mum didn't have reason to be worried. Lily had never fully recovered from that night two years ago when she had nearly died at Hogwarts, and she knew it. They all knew it. Nobody really talked about it all that much, but it was always there, lingering in the back of their minds. Lily just knew it was. Sighing, she brushed her white hair behind her right ear and put on a brave smile.
"It's just… I've dreamed about this day for so long, and it's finally here." she admitted reluctantly, knowing that Daddy and Mum would need some sort of admission from her. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."
Daddy put a reassuring hand on her shoulder while Mum gave her a little smile, both seeming satisfied with her explanation. But it was a lie. Lily wasn't just a little nervous. She was terrified. Ever since that cold December night two years before, when Lily'd nearly been killed absorbing all the energy that the mad wizard Lucas had tried to release into the sky, she hadn't been able to feel her magic; not once. Witches and wizards rarely had control over their power before they got their wands at eleven and went off to Hogwarts, but they could usually still feel something. Every time Lily tried to use that power, though, and she had tried many, many times, she just couldn't. It was always just out of reach. For two years, she had been clinging to the hope that all she needed was a wand, and that with it she would feel that power again. When she had woken up today, she had known that she would finally find out, one way or the other. That was why she had tried so hard to be good, to be the best witch that she could be, because if she didn't, well, then a wand just wouldn't choose her at all.
And if a wand didn't choose her, what was she?
"Let's get started, shall we?" Skeleton Woman had said as a tape measure had flown out from the back. Lily had gulped and let it measure her.
And then, everything had fallen apart. The first wand had done nothing when she'd picked it up and given it a wave. And so had the second. And the third. And the thirteenth. Mum and Daddy, who had been so supportive at first telling her not to worry, became uneasy, and James and Al looked downright scared. Lily just wanted to cry. It just wasn't working. She shouldn't have even bothered. Apparently, she couldn't even get one.
"Let's try this one," Skeleton Woman said bracingly, holding up yet another wand. "Ten and three quarters inch, whippy. Mahogany and phoenix tail."
Lily just scowled. What was this, the thirtieth? The three hundredth? It didn't seem to matter. It looked like her grandmother—who was also named Lily, confusingly enough—had been right after all. Lily was still not sure whether her conversation with her grandmother had ever really happened, since she had been mostly dead at the time and she'd met and spoken with Grandma Lily on an island that didn't really exist, except in her dreams. But then Lily was a dreamwalker, and she'd had her fair share of nightmares that were far too real, so why couldn't that have been real too? She still remembered it as clearly as if it were yesterday; the beautiful young witch who look far, far too young to be a grandmother smiling at her sadly, warning her that the sacrifice she'd made to save everyone had taken a very serious toll on her connection to her magic. Grandma Lily had said she would heal… eventually, but that it would not be easy. Lily felt tears form in her eyes as she picked up this new wand and felt, once again, absolutely nothing happened. She'd been hurt, she knew that. Her snow white hair, which had once been as red as her mother's, was a perfect reminder of what had happened. She'd tried to prepare herself, knowing she needed time to heal, and that it might be hard.
But she'd had a year and a half, and she still couldn't feel her magic at all. Lily had just never imagined it would be this hard.
The door opened behind her, and Hugo, Rosie and Auntie Hermione walked in. It only took Auntie a second to figure out what was going on from the looks on everyone's faces, and it only took Rosie two seconds. Hugo, on the other hand, smiled a big grin at everyone and seemed totally oblivious to the whole thing.
"Hiya Lily," he said cheerfully, running his fingers through his bushy brown hair as he walked over to her. "You haven't chosen your wand yet? We were so late I thought for sure that you'd be done by now! Does this mean I have to wait for you to finish, since you were here first? That's fine, I mean I guess that's fine. It feels like we've been waiting forever, doesn't it, so what's a little while longer?"
"Hugo, dear," Auntie Hermione called, as Hugo continued to chat away, blissfully unaware that Lily's eyes were getting narrower and narrower with each passing word. "Why don't you come over here and leave your cousin alone until she's finished."
"No, it's fine," Lily said, trying to sound gracious. It was hard to sound gracious with her teeth clenched, but she gave it her best try. "Why don't you go ahead, Hugo. I could use a break anyways."
Daddy, Mum and Auntie exchanged anxious looks, as did James, Al and Rosie. In the end, though, no one argued with her decision, and Hugo eagerly bounded up to Skeleton Lady, who began measuring him while Lily crept away to slouch beside the far wall. James moved as if to join her, but she glared at him sharply and he stayed where he was. She was NOT in the mood to talk right now, and there was nothing her brother or anyone else could do to make this better, short of healing her. The measuring took some time, and stewing in the corner in her own dark thoughts did nothing to improve Lily's mood. She tried her best not to scowl as Skeleton Lady went into the back and brought out a wand for Hugo. Knowing him, he'd probably be chosen by the first wand he touched.
Turned out it wasn't the first wand… it was the fourth. Maple and dragon heartstring, eight and a half inches, flexible. It was all Lily could do not to start screaming or burst into tears. The only way she managed it, honestly, was that she was caught halfway between the two and so nothing came out. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for Hugo—she was, honest—but she just couldn't stand it. Soon enough he would be boarding the Hogwarts Express, setting off for his new life at school while she, wandless, broken Lily Potter, would stay behind and… and become a muggle. A lump formed in her throat, the painful kind that made breathing difficult. She had never been to school before, her parents had taught her to read and write and all that. Did this mean she would have to go to secondary school like a muggle and learn math and go to the dentist? Would her parents even want to keep her, she thought wildly, her hands beginning to shake. What if-?
The door to the shop opened again, and two more people walked in. Halo Wiggins and Clytemnestra Lestrange entered, both looking rather nervous. Clytemnestra had cut her hair short, and Lily thought it looked rather good like that, but she didn't say so. In fact, Lily very nearly burst into tears all over again at the sight of them. She knew that they had just come to cheer her on, but right then she'd wished they hadn't. Halo caught her eye and smiled at her reassuringly, and she felt a mutinous blush spread across her face. If there was anyone in the whole wide world that she did not want to witness her utter humiliation, it was him.
"Halo!" Mum said, rushing over to the boy and wrapping him in a tight hug that seemed to embarrass him. Halo tried to pull out of Ginny Potter's grasp, but she held him tightly, fussing over how dirty the back of his robes were. Rose and Albus waved at both of them, while James smiled at Clytemnestra before scowling and refusing to look at Halo. Daddy went over as well, clapping Halo on the back once before turning to the girl.
"Halo, Clytemnestra, thank you both for coming," Daddy said, though he didn't take his eyes off of Clytemnestra and he didn't sound very thankful, at least not to Lily. Daddy had always been a little odd around the girl, though for the life of her Lily didn't know why. She was simply wonderful, if a little quiet.
"Of course, we're happy to-" Halo began, but that was as far as he got.
"It's Cleo, actually," the girl said in a quiet voice that somehow seemed to cut right across Halo as she slowly lowered her overlarge sunglasses. Lily caught sight of burning blue eyes that seemed unable to focus on anything; eyes she had not seen for some time.
Just like that, everyone's mood changed.
Mum seemed to tighten her grip on Halo's shoulder, but aside from that remained rather calm. James, who had been leaning against the wall, stood up straight, looking alert, while poor Hugo just clutched his new wand tightly and looked confused. The three of them seemed much calmer than the others though, and Lily knew it was because none of the three had ever really seen Cleo in action, they had only heard about her from others. Daddy took a step towards Mum, placing himself between her and the girl. Auntie Hermione looked shocked, while beside her Rosie narrowed her eyes and drew her wand. Albus ran over to stand beside Lily, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. Lily was grateful, if a little surprised. James was always the one who had looked after her. It wasn't that Al wasn't a good big brother, really he was, despite all the little fights they had. It was just that, well, James had always been better at that sort of thing. Al had always been a little too timid; almost scared. He didn't looked scared now.
Lily, for her part, thought it was all a bit excessive. It wasn't that she didn't know the difference between Clytemnestra, the sweet if damaged girl who was her friend and Cleo, the dangerous, murderous other girl living in the same body who Lily had watch best three fully grown wizards two years before, it was just that she seriously doubted Cleo would come all the way here just to cause trouble. Cleo made her nervous, sure, but not enough to warrant all this.
"I should, uh, explain," Halo said nervously after an awkward pause where no one moved.
"That would be a good idea," Daddy said softly, not taking his eyes off of Cleo.
And so Halo went on about some arrangement that Cleo and Clytemnestra had made about sharing their body. Lily hadn't known about any of this, though most of the others had clearly heard either part or most of it, and to be honest she found it a little unfair that Cleo only got to be awake for 72 hours a month while Clytemnestra got it the rest of the time. No one else seemed to think so, though, so she kept those thoughts to herself. When Halo was done, Daddy sighed and rubbed his lightning shaped scar, muttering, "That fool girl, putting the time off like this. Well I guess it can't be helped." He turned to Cleo and said in a louder voice, "Well, what is it you want then?"
"Now now, Potter, is that any way to greet someone who's trying to help you?" Cleo responded.
Lily's family bristled at Cleo's rudeness, all except Daddy himself, who just ignored it.
"Help how?" he asked.
"The wands aren't choosing her, are they?" Cleo asked, glancing briefly over at Lily, her burning eyes never quite seeming to focus on her. Lily was shocked to see that Cleo's burning blue eyes looked almost sympathetic. But Cleo wasn't her friend, only Clytemnestra was. What was going on?
No one said anything in response. At length, Lily nodded. It hurt to admit it openly, but there was nothing for it. She couldn't pretend anymore. She could try all day, but no wand was going to choose her, no matter how early she brushed her teeth.
"How many did you try?" Halo asked her, sounding crushed.
"Enough," she replied miserably.
"Oh, Lily, I'm so sorry," Rosie breathed, starting towards her, but Lily shook her head sharply, and her cousin stopped. In fact every member of her family looked like they wanted to give her a hug, but she glowered at them all and none of them moved towards her. Well, none except Al, who was already standing beside her, his hand on her shoulder. Him she let stay. His warm hand felt comforting.
"It's… it's fine," Lily said, though it wasn't. "I guess I just wasn't meant to…"
She trailed off, unable to finish. Tears formed in her eyes, although she had no idea where they'd come from. She was a Potter, and Potters didn't cry about every little thing. Or maybe they did. Mum, Auntie and Rose were crying too, and both Daddy and James looked to be close to tears themselves. Only Hugo, who seemed too confused by the whole thing to be sad, and Albus looked calm. Al smiled reassuringly as she looked at him, but even he was gripping her shoulder stronger than he really needed to.
"You're wrong," Cleo said calmly, catching everyone's attention. "You are meant to be a witch. And to do that you will need a wand."
"But-" Lily felt very confused.
"I will help you," Cleo announced, nodding to herself as if it were decided. "Everyone out."
No one moved. Mostly they were just staring at Cleo as if she had gone mad. Her burning eyes swept over them, narrowing angrily.
"Did you not hear me?" she demanded, "Everyone except myself, Halo and Lily need to leave."
"What are you playing at?" Rosie demanded angrily, her wand still clenched in her hand. "We are not going to leave you alone with them!"
"You are, or Lily Potter will spend the rest of her life as a squib," Cleo said calmly. She was ignoring the others now, her eyes turned in the direction of Daddy, never really focusing on him.
"What are you going to do?" Daddy asked quietly.
"What I must. Don't worry, Potter, it's not dangerous."
"Why can't the rest of us stay, if it's not dangerous?" James demanded, glancing over at Lily protectively.
"Because I don't like any of you," Cleo said, shooting James an irritated look. "Now get out of here, all of you."
Daddy glanced at Auntie Hermione, who shrugged, before turning to share one last look with Mum, who hesitated briefly before nodding.
"Alright," was all Harry Potter said.
Daddy, Mum and Auntie Hermione rounded up a very reluctant James, Albus, Hugo and Rose, none of whom wanted to go anywhere. Then, after the children had been shepherded outside by Auntie her parents wrapped Lily in a tight hug, each kissing her on the cheek.
"You've been so brave, Lily-Bean" Mum said, tears forming again. For once she didn't mind the nickname. "No matter what, we are so very proud of you."
"We will be right outside," Daddy said, clearly watching Cleo out of the corner of his eye. "If anything happens, we'll be there straight away, don't you worry."
And then they were gone, leaving no one except Lily, Cleo, an awkward looking Halo, and Skeleton Woman, who Lily had totally forgotten about until then.
"You can go too, wandwoman," Cleo said indifferently, turning to face her.
"I beg your pardon," Skeleton Woman said indignantly, "This is my shop, and I will not-"
"Best to do what she says, Cordelia," came a new voice, barely louder than a whisper, "It is most unwise to argue with a Lestrange."
A stooped old man so old that Lily was amazed he could still walk at all hobbled out of the back of the little shop, leaning heavily on a cane.
"Father!" Skeleton Woman said indignantly, "really, you can't keep ordering me around and-"
"Enough, child," the old man said, his reedy whisper brokering no argument. "Go. Now."
His daughter was a picture of skeletal unhappiness, but she had no choice but to obey the way all children did when their parents used the voice that old Mr. Ollivander was using right there. She gave Cleo a nasty look before heading to the back of the shop, muttering unflattering things under her breath.
Cleo eyed the old man warily as he shuffled over to her. He had unsettling grey eyes that were almost silver, and he never ever seemed to blink.
"We have never met, young lady," he said softly, "but I recognize that wand in your hand. Beechwood and Dragon Heartstring, 10 inches, firm."
"You made that wand?" Halo asked, sounding surprised.
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself ordered me to make it, years ago," Ollivander said quietly, "It was one of thirteen I made on his orders, when I was his prisoner. He tortured me for days until I agreed."
Lily gasped in horror, and Halo stared at the old man in wide-eyed disbelief. Cleo just nodded slowly. She knew something of torture herself, and the way it changed people.
"Very well, you may stay, old man," Cleo announced, as if the matter was decided.
The old man, apparently, needed no such permission, for he ignored Cleo entirely, focusing instead on Lily. Lily had found his eyes unsettling when they weren't focused on her and liked them even less when they were.
"My dear child," he breathed, silver eyes seeming to pierce her. "You have suffered much."
"I-" Lily said, unsure of what to say.
"Mr. Ollivander, isn't there anything you can do?" Halo asked.
"Harry Wiggins, 9 inches, sphinx teeth and sycomore, twisted, oh yes how I remember that wand," he muttered, as if to himself. He seemed to peer at Halo with those silver eyes, and frowned slightly. "My dear boy, what did you do to yourself? Why, you're almost as bad as Miss Potter. You children really ought to be more careful."
Halo seemed to have no idea what to say to this any more than Lily did and frowned. He shook his head the adorable way he did when he was confused, but before he could speak Cleo cut across him.
"Not that this isn't fascinating," she said, clearly upset at being ignored, "but we should get back to it before the others waiting outside lose their minds."
"What are you going to do?" Lily asked curiously. She forced herself not to take a step back as Cleo advanced towards her. She didn't want to be afraid of this girl, who was clearly trying to help, but, well, this girl had killed people.
Cleo said nothing, just coming to a halt in front of Lily, whose mind started racing. What did this girl know that no one else did? Was there some complex spell only Cleo knew? Lily had seen her do some unbelievable things. Lily just hope that whatever she did, it wouldn't hurt.
To her utter amazement, though, Cleo did nothing but draw her wand and hold it out to her.
"Here."
"W-what?"
"It is yours, Lily Potter," Cleo said, burning eyes unfocused. "Take it."
"But this is your wa-"
"Shut up and take it," Cleo hissed, and so Lily did.
The moment she touched Cleo's wand, she felt a warm tingle in the tips of her fingers. It was faint, barely there at all, but Lily had felt nothing like it for nearly 2 years. She sank to her knees, gasping laughing and crying all at once.
"Ahh," old Mr. Ollivander said above her. "Go on then, Ms. Potter. Give it a wave."
Lily did so, and through her tears she saw a little shower of yellow sparks erupt out of the end of the wand. It wasn't much, only four or five little feeble sparks, but it was magic, real magic. Her magic.
"Oh thank god," Halo murmured quietly, though Lily heard him and very much agreed.
"I-I don't understand," Lily said thickly, hiccupping as she spoke. She was starting to get all snotty, the way she always did when she cried.
"Magic is a curious thing," Ollivander said wistfully, "and wands are the most curious of all. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but you held that very wand in your hands before you suffered your injury."
"Yes, I did," Lily said, quickly brushing away her tears and hoping that Halo didn't notice all the snot. "In fact, I was holding it right up until it happened. Clytemnestra had asked me to keep it safe for her."
"I suspected as much," the old wandmaker said, nodding. "It recognizes you, and senses what the other wands do not. It knows you, and can feel the power inside you, even with how damaged your connection to your magic is."
"That's… that's amazing," Lily breathed, looking down at her wand as if she had never seen anything so wonderful in her whole life. Her very own wand. Well, except…
"But what about you?" Lily asked, turning to Cleo. "Don't you need this wand, you and Clytemnestra both, I mean?"
Cleo glowered at the mention of Clytemnestra, and she said, "She will manage. I, on the other hand, already have a wand to call my own." She stared defiantly out of the window in the direction of Daddy. Lily had no idea what that meant, but Halo, who knew very well how Cleo felt about the fact that Harry Potter was keeping the Elder Wand, whose allegiance she had rightfully won, from her shifted uncomfortably.
"So this is really mine?" Lily asked. She still couldn't believe it, and wanted to quadruple check just to make super sure.
"It is, if the girl renounces it," Mr. Ollivander said, peering over at Cleo.
"I do," Cleo said. She paused awkwardly before adding, with obvious reluctance, "We both do."
Halo gave her an odd look, but said nothing. Instead the old wandmaker spoke.
"Then it is yours, Ms. Potter. It is not the best way to transfer ownership, but it works well enough. Wands are often passed down from generation to generation. This is hardly different."
Maybe it was the way that Mr. Ollivander had mentioned the past, but Lily suddenly thought of all the history her new wand had. It's creator had been tortured making it, and it had belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange herself. Lily could still picture the twisted monster that woman had become at the end, in the days when she had tortured her own daughter. Voldemort, Bellatrix, and even Cleo herself… just how much pain and suffering had this wand done? She was almost tempted to hand it right back.
"A wand should not be judged for the actions of its wielder," Mr. Ollivander said quietly, as if reading her mind, "It is a tool, like any other. Is not a simple shovel dangerous, in the hands of a madman?"
"But the wand chooses the wizard, doesn't it?" Lily asked quietly, still looking at the wand in her hands. "Doesn't that mean it knows, at least a little, what it might be used for?"
"You are a clever one, aren't you?" Old Mr. Ollivander said, peering down at her. "Perhaps you are right. The mind of a wand, if you can call it that, is unknowable, even to those of us learned in such things. Perhaps wands, like the wizards who use them, make mistakes from time to time. But of one thing there can be no doubt, Ms. Potter. That wand in your hand chose you. It picked you knowing full well that you are not yet healed, and may never be. It took a chance on you; it believes in you. And that, if I may say so, is rather encouraging don't you think?"
Lily gazed down at the wand in her hand for another moment or two, and then made up her mind. Smiling, she looked up at all of them. "You're right. Thank you, Mr. Ollivander, thank you Halo, and thank you so very much Cleo."
"It was my pleasure, young Ms. Potter," Ollivander whispered.
"Well, now we're even," Cleo said uncomfortably, "You saved my life, after all."
"I didn't even do anything," Halo muttered. Lily laughed and rose to her feet, throwing her arms around him. It wasn't because she really, really wanted an excuse to hug him, no it wasn't that at all. It was just that she didn't think either Cleo or Mr. Ollivander were the hugging type.
"Come on then, Halo darling, it's time to go," Cleo said, sounding annoyed when Lily had let go of Halo. She grabbed hold of his hand, which seemed to surprise him nearly as much as it surprised Lily. They… they weren't together, were they? Not that she cared of course, not one bit.
"You're right, Cleo," Halo said, carefully pulling his hand out of hers. "Mr. Ollivander, thank you again for everything." The old man nodded, and Halo turned to Lily, smiling. "Come on then Lily, let's go tell your family the good news."
He turned to open the door, but Lily beat him to it. Grinning like an idiot, Lily raced out of the wand shop, holding the one wand that had chosen her tightly in her hand.