Hey guys,
first of all, I have to apologize for taking so long to update the story. I had A LOT going on at university - papers, exams, etc - and then fell sick. I'm still not 100% fit and feel tired but I am just so curious to see what you think of this chapter that I didn't want to wait any longer. ;)
Things are starting to get interesting! :)
rosenthalblau: This is the point where Valerie's existence is starting make a (small) difference to the story. I'd be interested in your opinion again as the story develops. ;)
Anyway, please enjoy chapter six of Emerald Fire and don't forget to leave behind a review!
This is it, Valerie thought. I'm finally getting my own wand.
She took a deep breath as they neared Ollivanders. Harry's hand slipped in hers and she could feel that he was as nervous as she was.
A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window and even though Valerie was sure that plenty of people must be visiting the shop every year, the place looked strangely abandoned.
Thousands of narrow boxes were piled up neatly right up to the ceiling, all covered with a tiny layer of dust. It was dark inside, similar to Eeylops Owl Emporium but filled with an almost eerie silence and a strange energy in the air that sent a fine, tingling sensation down Valerie's spine.
A single, spindly chair stood in the corner nearest to the door and Valerie almost winced then Hagrid sat on it to wait.
"Good afternoon," said a soft voice suddenly from the depths of the shop and an old man with wide, pale eyes emerged from the darkness.
Next to her, Harry jumped, nearly bumping into her. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair before it could break.
"Hello," they said a bit awkwardly.
The man reminded Valerie strangely of a ghost; his pale skin and eyes glowing strangely in the dim light shining through the shop windows.
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon."
He approached them like a cat circling its prey, a small smile playing at his lips.
"Harry Potter." The man, who could be none other than the shop owner, Mr. Ollivander, rested his eyes on Harry and came to a halt directly in front of him. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
Valerie saw Harry's green eyes move up to meet Mr. Ollivander's grey ones. She had the same bright green eyes, of course, but, apparently, it was her brother people were most interested in. During their stay in Diagon Alley, she had only been acknowledged once, twice at the most. The rest of the time, the wizards and witches they had encountered had almost exclusively spoken to Harry. He'd been overwhelmed and a little bit uncomfortable with all the sudden attention he was getting, but had politely shaken hands and returned smiles without complaint.
"Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course. How, is not always clear…"
The wand chooses the wizard?
Valerie looked at the many neatly piled up boxes around them. In one of them lay her own wand, waiting to be taken out and held in her hand. She could feel the magic radiating off them and if she concentrated hard enough, she imagined she could actually hear them whispering.
"And that's where..." Mr. Ollivander, who had moved even closer to Harry, touched the lightning scar on her brother's forehead with a long, white finger. "Ah, yes… I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it."
Mr. Ollivander paused for a moment, as if he remembered something that had happened a very long time ago.
"Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..."
He shook his head and his silvery eyes looked down on Harry with great sadness.
Then, looking up again, his gaze fell on Hagrid, who seemed awfully large in the small shop.
"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"
"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid with a nod, his face turning a deep shade of red.
"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.
Expelled? Hagrid had been expelled as a young wizard? But how was he still able to perform magic?
"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.
"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply, narrowing his eyes at him.
"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly but Valerie noticed the tight grip on his umbrella as he did so.
She fought back a grin. Obviously, Hagrid was not entirely telling the truth but she wasn't going to betray him.
"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. Somehow Valerie had the feeling that the old man was quite aware of Hagrid's lie.
"Ah," Mr. Ollivander said, changing the topic and focus of his attention. "And there is young Ms. Potter, of course."
He stepped closer to her now.
"I see," he said with a bright smile and a knowing nod. "Quite the talent at making yourself seemingly… disappear, aren't you?"
"I don't understand…" Valerie said. "I'm not… I mean, I'm…"
Mr. Ollivander chuckled softly.
"Oh, not entirely invisibly, no," he replied in an equally soft voice. "But enough for others to, well, not notice you. An amazingly useful talent might I add, Ms. Potter, very useful indeed."
His silvery eyes strayed, once more, from her to Harry.
"Would you mind if I begin with your brother, my dear?" Mr. Ollivander asked and smiled brightly when she shook her head.
"No, sir," Valerie said. "Not at all."
"Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket and held it out. "Which is your wand arm?"
"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry and Valerie wondered what he needed a tape measure for. They weren't going to buy any clothes in here, were they?
"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head.
Valerie frowned while watching Mr. Ollivander work. She was not familiar with wands and even though it was not her own wand they were currently looking for, she was equally excited for her brother. They would both be attending a wizard school in September! And they'd have plenty of time to talk about and compare their wands, imagine what being in Hogwarts would be like.
As the tape measured – which, Valerie now realised, it did so own its own - Mr. Ollivander said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
As soon as the tape had finished measuring Harry, Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
He put them on the counter, opened the first and handed Harry a polished light brown wand.
"Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beech wood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."
Harry took the wand and gave Valerie a quick glance, who shrugged in return, before he waved it around a bit.
The blue vase on the counter burst into a thousand tiny pieces and Mr. Ollivander immediately snatched wand out of his hand.
"No, no," he murmured as he put it back into its box. "Definitely not."
Mr. Ollivander opened yet another box and handed Harry the wand it contained.
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy."
Harry took it and raised his hand, but he had hardly moved the wand at all when a second vase, a white one with beautiful carvings, started to shake dangerously. The wand was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander immediately.
"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."
Harry tried it but the result was the same and Mr. Ollivander had taken the wand away from him before any more damage could be done.
Valerie watched the scene with interest. Apparently, wands were very picky when it came to their new owner. She was almost reminded of how the three of them had picked out their owls earlier today.
Neither she nor Harry had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The best result had been a wand made out of holly with a dragon heartstring core that had simply not reacted at all.
The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the counter, but Valerie had the strange feeling that the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.
He reminded her strangely of Mrs. Willoughby, a small quirky old woman who worked in a muggle shoe shop. Of course, the two had nothing in common concerning their appearance as the woman was not nearly as frightening as Mr. Ollivander, but the way they both became happier with every shoe, or in this case, wand, the customer tried, was almost scary.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Harry took the wand and Valerie watched as his eyes widened in surprise.
He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. He looked up at Hagrid, who was clapping loudly, with a wide smile.
Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "
Carefully, he put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious.."
Valerie didn't understand what the wandmaker found curious about selling one of his wands to a customer but before she could ask, Harry opened his mouth.
"Sorry," he said, "but what's curious?"
Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare and handed him the box.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar."
Valerie frowned. Hadn't he mentioned that no wand shared the same core? That every wand was different? Well, she supposed that there really was an exception to every rule. It did indeed seem strange, though, that this particular wand had chosen Harry.
Or, maybe not, whispered a voice in her head. Maybe that is exactly the reason why the wand had chosen her brother in the first place.
"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."
Valerie saw how uneasy her brother was. It seemed that everyone expected great things from him before he had even set foot in Hogwarts.
She just hoped that people wouldn't expect the same from her just because they were related. It wasn't like she had defeated the darkest wizard of all times or done anything else of an extraordinary nature. She was Valerie, just Valerie. There was nothing great or exceptional about her.
"Now," Mr. Ollivander said happily. "To you Ms. Potter. I wonder if you're going to be as tricky as young Harry here."
However, he didn't sound concerned at all by the thought of Valerie being a difficult customer. On the contrary! Mr. Ollivander, who had put back the other boxes earlier, happily went off to fetch new ones.
He came back with a dozen boxes in his arms, put the all on the counter and pulled out the tape he had used to measure Harry with.
"Now. Which one is your wand arm, Ms. Potter?" Mr. Ollivander asked and Valerie stretched out her right arm. "Ah, same as your brothers then."
Something about the fact that she and Harry were both right handed seemed to make him happy.
"Very good, very good," she heard him murmur when the tape was finished measuring her arm and head and dropped back to the floor. "Here, try this one first. Holly and unicorn hair, eleven inches, supple."
Valerie couldn't help but notice the similarity between the wand Mr. Ollivander was now holding out to her and Harry's. The only difference seemed to be the core.
She took the wand and waved it, sending the white vase flying through the shop and hastily handed it back to Mr. Ollivander.
"Hmm… No, no," he said, shaking his head. "Maybe this one, ebony and dragon heartstring, nine and a half inches, springy… Try it…"
Valerie tried it but Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand out of her hands as soon as she'd touched it.
"No, definitely not! Here, hazel and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, reasonably supple…"
Valerie tried the wand but it immediately set the spindly chair on fire. Mr. Ollivander took back the wand and extinguished the fire with a flick of his own wand.
"Tricky, tricky…" He murmured, scratching his chin. "Maybe this one? Sycamore and dragon heartstring, then inches, nice and flexible."
Valerie tried wand after wand, after wand. When they still hadn't found a matching one over an hour later, she began to worry that her original fear, that no wand would ever want to choose her, had become true. She looked over at Hagrid who first looked worried but, spotting her watching him, gave her an encouraging smile.
She appreciated the gesture, but knowing that even Hagrid had doubts, didn't exactly boost her confidence.
"No worries, dear," said Mr. Ollivander who had caught up on her worries. "You are merely a difficult customer. There has been no witch or wizard who walked out of Ollivanders without a wand!"
Suddenly, he paused.
His eyes travelled to Harry and the brown box he was clutching in his hand, then back to Valerie and to the back of the shop.
"I wonder…" He said slowly, his pale fingers moving to hold up her chin so their eyes met. "I highly curious thing indeed… Could it be possible? After everything your brother has been through, the many great things he is destined to do…"
Mr. Ollivander let go of Valerie's chin and neatly put the boxes back to where he'd taken them from. He gave her one last glance before he retreated into the darkness.
Valerie stood in front of the counter, feeling lost. When Harry had taken over thirsty minutes to find his wand, she hadn't been worried to find that she'd be difficult, too. Now, however, almost one and a half hour later, she didn't know what to think. None of the wands she'd tried so far had even remotely given the impression of being a match. All tries had resulted in doing damage to whatever objects were in the way.
Mr. Ollivander's pale figure emerged from the darkness, a long, black box resting in his hands. Unlike the others, it was not covered with dust.
He fixed Valerie intensely with his silvery eyes.
"Only three customers have ever held this wand in their hands, Ms. Potter," he said in a low voice, his tone had become very serious. "All of them were exceptionally talented, powerful wizards and have gone on to do great things in this world. None of them, however, were chosen by it."
Mr. Ollivander slowly opened the box, revealing a beautifully crafted wand resting on red velvet.
It was completely black, except for a thin, silver snake that was wound around the lower half of the wood, the end of its body forming the grip. Emerald stones served as the snake's eyes and glowed in the dim light in the store. It was beautiful.
Valerie swallowed, sensing the magic that radiated off the wand.
"It is the only of its kind in my shop. A very powerful wand," Mr. Ollivander said, following her gaze that swept over the wand. "Elder and phoenix feather, twelve and a half inches, reasonably supple."
Carefully, Valerie took the wand out of the box. A warm feeling spread through her entire body, the emerald eyes of the snake started to glow and a chain of silvery sparks burst from the tip.
"Oh," Mr. Ollivander breathed. "Extraordinary, truly extraordinary… We can, Ms. Potter, with a final certainty say, that you are a truly gifted young witch. Elder wands, rare as they are, only choose the most talented and superior witches and wizards."
Valerie could only stare at Mr. Ollivander who had taken the wand and wrapped the box up in brown paper.
"I have to warn you though," he said, handing it to her. "Elder wands are the ones most desired by other witches and wizards for they are the most powerful ones. I advise you to take great care of yours, as elder wands are known to change their allegiance should they find a new master."
"Find a new master?" Valerie asked. "Didn't you say that – "
"Oh, almost very wand can be won in a duel, Ms. Potter," Mr. Ollivander explained. "Only the most loyal ones remain dedicated to their original owner no matter the circumstances. An elder wand, however, will turn quickly on its owner, should another win it in a duel."
Valerie looked at him horrified.
"Rest assured, though," the wandmaker continued with a small smile. "That only very powerful wizards or witches actually manage to obtain another's wand in a duel. It is not easy to defeat someone with an elder wand, Ms. Potter. Your wand will defend you fiercely when challenged."
Valerie wasn't sure she liked Mr. Ollivander too much. The man frightened her with his creepy eyes and talks about wands.
In the end, they paid seven gold Galleons for Harry's wand and twenty Galleons for Valerie's, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.
"Good luck to you both," Valerie heard the wandmaker say before the door to the shop closed behind them.
She glanced back over her shoulder to see the old man watching them with a frown on his face, his silvery eyes resting uncomfortably long on Valerie before he vanished back into the shop.
It was a beautiful day, the sun hanging low in the afternoon shy as the trio made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron which was now empty. Neither Valerie nor Harry were particularly looking forward to encountering even more witches and wizards that couldn't get enough of seeing the famous Potters, especially the Boy Who Lived, and were relieved to see that the little Pub was abandoned – except for Tom, the barkeeper, that was.
"Do yeh wan' ter eat somethin' before we head back?" Hagrid asked them when they entered the Leaky Cauldron, arms loaded with packages of all form and sizes and the two cages holding their owls.
"Thanks Hagrid," Harry said. "But I'm not hungry."
"Neither am I," Valerie also replied who just wanted to go to a quiet place where nobody would stare at them as if they were a piece of art at an exhibition. It was unnerving.
"Alright then." Hagrid nodded at Tom, who was busy cleaning the counter, and shuffled them out of the Pub.
The city outside Diagon Alley was as busy as ever. This time, however, manoeuvring their way through the crowded streets proved more difficult with all the packages they were carrying.
People would stop in their tracks to stare at the three as they passed, shaking their heads and muttering something about "strange tastes" and "gone crazy".
Valerie had bite her tongue in order to not give an angry retort.
"Why can't they just quit staring at use?" She hissed.
Harry shrugged. "Don't know. But I wish they would stop."
She nodded and gave one of the passers-by, a tall man with bushy brown eyebrows and a moustache, a particularly dark glare.
"We're not some animals in a petting zoo!" Valerie said through clenched teeth and she could hear Hagrid's deep laughter rumbling in front of them.
"Yeh better get used ter it, Valerie," the giant said. "Yer famous, 'course, everyone's gonna stare at yeh!"
"That doesn't mean I have to like it," she mumbled as they crossed the street.
When they had reached Paddington station, Hagrid stopped and glanced at the clock.
"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said. "I know yer not hungry, but yeh've been walkin' around all day. I won' take no fer an answer."
In the end, he bought them both a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them.
Valerie looked at her food with distaste. She really wasn't hungry at all but slowly started to take small bites of her burger.
"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.
Valerie glanced over at her brother. He chewed his hamburger absentmindedly while observing their surroundings.
After a while, Harry finally spoke. "Everyone thinks I'm special." He looked up at Hagrid. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry - I mean, the night our parents died."
Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows, he wore a very kind smile.
"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact."
Harry thankfully smiled at Hagrid.
"But what about me, Hagrid?" Valerie finally asked, voicing her concern for the first time. "I'm not special. I didn't defeat Vol- I mean, You Know Who, and I don't have a scar on my forehead! How can they expect me to do great things?"
Hagrid sighed and took her hands, which looked ridiculously tiny compared to his. "Now yeh listen. Yer parents were one of the mos' talented people I ever knew, 'n with a wand like that," he pointed at the box wrapped in brown paper that was resting on her lap. "Yeh've got nothin' ter be afraid of. Yeh can always trust Ollivander's judgement, Valerie."
Valerie nodded but she still wasn't fully convinced. "But what if I disappoint them? What if the wand is wrong?"
At this, Hagrid let out a rumbling laugh. "Impossible. Yeh'll see, Valerie. Now, I believe yeh've got a train ter catch."
Hagrid helped them on to the train that would take them back to the Dursleys, then handed each of them an envelope. Valerie looked at it quizzically, turning it in her hand.
"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts," Hagrid explained. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, they'll know where to find me... See yeh soon. Take care, will yeh?"
"Promise," Valerie answered and smiled up at him before getting on the train.
Harry followed after her and even rose in his seat to press his nose against the window to get one last look at Hagrid when the rain pulled out of the station.
Valerie sighed and rested her head in her hands. It would be a full month before they would see him again. A full four weeks that they'd have to spend with the Dursleys until they would finally be off on their way to Hogwarts.
Note: I did do some research before selecting a wand for Valerie and before you say: "There is only one Elder Wand." Yes, there is only one wand made of Elder wood combined with a Thestral tail-hair core and it is supposed to be the most powerful wand in history. BUT: apparently, there have been other wands made of Elder wood but with different cores (if the Harry Potter wikia can be believed). They are very rare but it's not impossible to own one.
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)