Harry watched as the wall in front of him quivered, wriggled and then a small hole appeared in the middle. The hole quickly grew wider and larger until the group of four stood facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid. The archway led onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.
Lily smiled at the look of amazement on her son's face. They stepped through and Harry watched, fascinated, as the wall closed behind them.
The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop.
"Cauldrons!" Harry laughed, "a whole shop just for cauldrons!"
"You'll need one for your class with me," Lily replied. "But we have something more important to grab first." She turned to the two men behind them, "I thought we'd stop at Ollivander's first."
"Ah, good choice. I'll be join'n you later. I've got to go to Gringotts first, official Hogwarts business." Hagrid said, patting his breast pocket.
Harry waved as the jolly, bearded man wandered off down a side street. His mother put out her arm and he looped his through hers. Sticking his arm out towards Sirius, Harry laughed when the man hesitated.
"It's this thing she does from the Wizard of Oz, it's Mum's favorite movie."
Still confused, Sirius linked arms with the boy.
"Well then," said Lily with a smirk, "we're off to see the wizard."
~'*'~
Ollivander was having a wonderful day. Students were constantly wandering in and out of the shop this time of year. Each time a wand chose a student he felt a sense of accomplishment. He felt so honored to make these matches, personal extensions of a wizards magic.
He was sorting through new unicorn tail hairs when he heard the bell above the door ring. The wands sang with the new magic. Ah, he thought, an unmatched wizard. Their song grew louder and Ollivander smiled, a rather powerful new wizard at that.
Walking out from the back he smiled as he stood looking over the three people in his shop. Two he remembered and one he had been anticipating.
"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.
"Ah yes," said the old wand maker. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday you were in here for your wand, Lily. Do you still have it?"
Lily handed it over and the man held the wand with a look of true appreciation. "Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charms work."
He handed the wand back to her and moved behind the counter and sat on an old wooden high stool.
"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it – it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."
They all watched as Mrs. Potter pulled a mahogany wand from her sleeve.
"You kept it." Sirius' face fell as he stared at the dead man's wand.
"Of course," Lily said, slipping James's wand away again, "but let's get started Harry," her voice breaking a bit. "We've only got till five and you need nearly twice as many supplies as we did in my day."
"Hmm yes," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Lily a long look. "Well, now – Mr. Potter, let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"
"Er, well, I'm right handed," said Harry.
"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. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a magical substance, Mr. Potter. Your mother's has a unicorn hair, your father's had dragon heart string as does Mr. Black's. Each wand is different, you may use another wizard's wand but it will never serve you as well as your own."
Mr. Ollivander walked to the shelves behind him and started pulling out boxes. Amazed, Harry watched as the tape measure, which was now measuring between his nostrils, continued on its own.
"That will do," the ancient man said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter, try this one. Beechwood and dragon heart string. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."
Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try-"
Harry tried – but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.
"No, no – here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."
Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of wands was mounting higher and higher on the tall stool and began running over onto the counter, but the more wands the man pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere – I wonder, now," he wandered into the back muttering to himself.
Lily slowly pulled James' wand back out from her sleeve. She handed it to her son and then smiled when he waved it and red and gold sparks sprouted out. He returned the wand when they heard the old man coming back.
Mr. Ollivander was still muttering as he returned, taking a wand from it's box. "Yes, why not – unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Harry took the wand before Lily or Sirius could say a word. He felt the same warmth spreading up his arm that he had felt holding his father's. He raised the new wand and moved it the same way as before. Matching red and gold sparks streamed through the dusty air.
The old wand maker broke into a bright smile at this. "Oh bravo! Yes, indeed, oh very good. Well, well, well… how curious, how very curious..."
Ollivander went behind the counter and placed the wand in it's box, all the while muttering the word 'curious'.
Sirius stepped forward and spoke softly to the man.
"James' wand chose Harry, Mr. Ollivander. While you were in the back."
"What's that, Mr. Black? Hmm?" The wand maker looked up from wrapping Harry's new wand in brown paper. "Chosen by two wands? Ha! Can't be done my boy. Well I suppose it could. I've only read about it, but..."
Ollivander's gleaming eyes swept towards Harry like glowing orbs in the dimly lit shop. He walked to the boy, leaning in and stopping inches away from Harry's face. The old man pushed Harry's hair aside to reveal his scar.
Seemingly lost in thought, he finally spoke, his voice distant and quiet. "Your father's wand and the twin of his murderer's wand."
"Ollivander!" Lily's sharp voice made the wand maker take a step back. "That's more than enough, did that really need to be said!?"
"I... I'm so sorry. But I remember every wand I've ever sold, Lily. Every single one. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in that 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."
Ollivander hurried back to where he had left the holly wand. "Lily if I may?" he asked, holding out his hand for James' wand.
"Harry if you could just hold them both. Yes, yes, now give them both a swish. Yes, curious." he said as sparks came out of both wands. "And now switch them, mmm, your father's in your right hand." Again sparks flew out, this time like fireworks, stopping as the small man snatched both wands from Harry's hands. "Oh, yes!"
"Is this normal, Mum?"
"Ollivander?" Lily turned, "what does it mean?"
"It means I have wand work to do. Come back at six. Turn over the open sign as you leave," answered the old man. Turning away without further explanation, Ollivander walked to the back of the shop, leaving Lily, Sirius and Harry alone and confused.
***Tad short. I have the next few days off so I'll have more time!***
