"Accidental magic? Really? It that what you are going with?" Croaker asked in disbelief as he exited the pensieve. He had not been at the training session and now wished he had been. It must have been something to see. While a pensieve memory was good, he needed to be there to feel the magic. This was his specialty. The nature of magic. How it worked, how it was wielded, and a study of the people who wielded it.

Harry shrugged "I can't remember anything like this happening to me before."

"It was a very impressive bout of accidental magic dear" Roxanne hugged him.

"All I have done is just a few sparks" Daphne said with a pout.

Harry and Cyrus both looked at Daphne in disbelief. "A few sparks? You burnt down a 20foot tree because it dropped some leaves in your "freshly washed" hair." pointed out Harry helpfully.

"Anyway" Croaker interrupted and turning back to Harry "You felt a spell coming towards you and you reacted. I saw you perform a perfect Protego charm to deflect the stunner and an accio to summon the knife. "

"Silently"

"Wandless"

"Tell me Harry what was going through your mind. Take your time. Just like we have practiced, deep breathes and look into your mind."

Harry shut his eyes and focused on the memory of the training session. No, not a training session – a battle he thought as the memories came flooding back. It just seemed so real. For that moment he was truly in a battle for his life. He held out his left hand just as he had done in his memory. Palm forward, fingers facing up and spread.

"Stop!" he said quietly as at the stunner came towards him in his memory.

He didn't hear the gasps of those around him as he continued to relive the memory. He needed the knife to end this. He held out his right hand towards where the knife was.

"Knife" he said and felt the knife slip into his had ready to throw.

"HARRY, STOP!" Croaker yelled at him.

Harry froze. He opened his eyes, blinked and looked around as the memory faded. As the sitting room came back into view, he realised that everyone was staring at him. Croaker appraisingly. Roxanne and Cyrus with awe. He looked at Daphne whose blue eye were shining with pride and something else that Harry had never seen in them before. Was it fear?

He blinked again and realised that he had a knife in his right hand with his armed cocked ready to throw.

And a shield in front of his left hand again. A large shield he thought as he felt the energy inside him draining rapidly.

"Not again" he groaned as the floor rushed up to meet him.


Harry awoke sitting on the sofa with Daphne next to him rubbing his back. "Feeling better?" she asked.

Harry did a quick assessment of his body. His knees were a little bit sore. At least the training room had cushioning charms on the floor. But he felt better than last time. In fact, he felt pretty good.

"So, Harry. We have a problem." Croaker said. "You have this amazing magical ability. But as we've discussed you have never learnt how to use it, let alone control it. You pour ever ounce of your magical into casting it. You need to learn and understand your magic Harry. Control it."

He turned to Roxanne and Cyrus "I understand that you are getting Harry a wand soon. Just in time I would say. Learning to use a wand will allow Harry to achieve this control over his magic."

"Me too" piped up Daphne.

Croaker look at Daphne. "That goes without saying Daphne. You and Harry need to develop your magic together. You are going to be a powerful Witch. And having two powerful children of the same age growing up together, it is important for both to develop their own strengths as well as working on their magic together."

"I am actually older" Daphne said with a smile at Harry who just rolled his eyes.

"Yes, we will be getting them wands next week on Harry's birthday" interjected Cyrus heading off the inevitable fight developing before hexes were thrown.

"After I take him for his yearly physical with the old goat" Roxanne said. "As we will be in Diagon Alley, we will be able to get him some new robes while we are there. He is growing so fast."

"No, not clothes shopping" Harry's head slumped forward.


He looks taller, thought Albus as he watched Harry walk through the gate of 4 Privet Drive. And has he gained weight? The clothes still look too big though, don't they buy him any of his own? Maybe he could convince them to spend some of the money on clothes for Harry. But they would just ignore him. The deal was they would give him a home only if Albus left them alone. Harry calling this place home was more important than a few new clothes he thought as he knocked on the door.

"The Boy is fine. Why are you staring at him?" Vernon demanded taking a step between the young freak and the old freak.

"What? Oh nothing. Just noting what a fine young man he is growing into" Albus said as he smiled at Harry. Harry just stared blankly back. Albus really thought he still looked small and skinny. But at least there was no visible bruising like last time. That is progress at least. Still no signs of his child magic coming through yet – just the one adult signature. Well he is only 9 he thought, maybe next year although time is running out for Harry's magic to fight back against Voldemort's.

Harry studied the old man. This was the person who had interfered with the wishes of his parents, who had made his childhood miserable. Harry clamped down hard on his rudimentary occlumency shields to stop his eyes glowing. Another recent development that Harry had been trying hard to learn how to control. It would probably give the old fool a heart attack if Harry showed off his newly discovered powers.

Dumbledore handed the money and the card to Vernon and left without looking back.

Vernon lumbered back to Harry "You know this is very inconvenient to do this every year Boy."

Harry was not the least bit intimidated anymore. There was a time when his uncle scared the living daylights out of him. Not anymore. "Only a couple more times and then you will get your final payout. Then we never have to see each other ever again. I am looking forward to that day just as much as you are. Just take your money and stop complaining. Believe me you really don't want to be breaking the contract you signed with Roxanne."

Harry dropped the bag of money on the table and like Dumbledore, left without looking back.


"So kids, what do you want to do first? Robe shopping? Book Shopping? Ice cream? Wands? Or perhaps…"

"Ice cream" Astoria said in a small voice.

"WANDS" Harry and Daphne said together.

"Well if you are sure" Cyrus laughed and lead them towards the very end of Diagonally Alley were there was a collection of small run down shops with apartments over the top.

They approached a shop that stood out from the rest. It was so clean. The windows sparkled, the paint looked so fresh Harry was tempted to touch it to see if was still wet. The name of the shop was painted on the window in Cyrillic lettering. "Boris and Cosmopolitan. Purveyors of Fine Wands".

A small bell rang as they entered the shop. Harry looked around. If possible, it was even cleaner inside the shop that it was outside. There was a burgundy leather seat built in to the bay window with a small round wrought iron table in front of it with a delicate lace tablecloth. The wood of the floor looked very old, very dark and polished to perfection.

Lining the left-hand wall there was what looked like a thousand samples of different coloured wood pieces arranged in interesting patterns and groupings. Along the right-hand wall was a row of waist heigh glass topped display cabinets. Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he peered into the first cabinet. It contained, if the little stylishly written place cards could be believed, dragon heart strings, unicorn tail hairs, troll whiskers, and…

Harry's musings were interrupted by the velvet curtains at the back of the store opening.

"Cyrus. Roxanne. My friends, how are you?" a short stocky man in perfectly tailored robes said as he embraced Roxanne and gave her a kiss on each cheek. "you are looking as beautiful as ever."

"And Cyrus, a little greyer on the temples. It suits you, adds to your gravitas. Not that you needed it." he said with at laugh shaking Cyrus' hand.

"Boris" Cyrus replied "it good to see you again. Where is Cosmopolitan? He is not hiding out the back?"

"No" Boris chuckled "he is on the continent chasing down a new source of Veela hair. They are so vain that none of them would admit that they ever lost a hair. Being immune to the lure, he is the only wand maker in England who can source them. He believes he has found a source that is willing donate a hair for every time he ummm" Boris took a quick look at the children "ummm helps them."

"You are truly terrible" Roxanne said laughing. "You remember Daphne and Astoria."

"But of course. My ladies" he said with a bow kissing each of the girl's hands. "always a pleasure to reacquaint myself with beautiful ladies."

"And this is my cousin Henri" Cyrus said indicating towards Harry.

Boris looked at Harry appraisingly "A pleasure Henri" he said shaking Harry's hand.

"We would like wands for both Henri and Daphne." Cyrus got down to business.

"Of course. Ladies first" he said with a nod to Daphne. He turned to the rest of them and gestured towards the window seat. The small table now had pots of tea and freshly baked scones with jam and cream "Please take a seat. Have some refreshments."

"Now Daphne, I see that you have an exquisite pair of throwing knives. I take it you will be only wanting the one wand today?" Daphne nodded and changed the knife and sheath from her right wrist to be paired with the one on her left and tested the draw of both knives.

"You have your mother's talent." he said mainly to himself.

"But what wood is going to be good enough for such a beautiful and talented witch" he asked dramatically. "Daphne please walk slowly along the wall of wood. Whilst I am sure many will be attracted, but which one will catch you."

As Daphne approached the wall of different coloured wood pieces, she was surprised to see the patterns rearrange themselves with the different woods swirling around. Some fought, seemingly joggling others out of the way to get close to her while other appeared to flee, trying to get as far away as possible.

She walked along the wall watching the following pieces of wood. Getting to the end and turning to walk back, her eye was drawn to a beautifully fine grained, ivory coloured wood. She reached out for it. As her finger touched it the other pieces surrounding it were repelled with some force leaving Daphne holding her wand wood.

"Ah Aspen" Boris said dramatically with out explaining himself further. "Now let's get you a core worthy of such a wood."

"Please approach the cabinets holding the wand wood in your hand."

As Daphne approached the cabinets her wand wood started sparking with accidental magic. The sparks generated flying towards the centre display cabinet. Boris walked ahead of her and opened the glass. Daphne kept walking while a steady stream of sparks apparently focussed on one particular core. Or more accurately the place card of one particular core which burst into flames that Boris quickly extinguished.

Boris picked up the core without comment. Taking the piece of wood that Daphne was holding he quickly headed behind the velvet curtain.

"That was very intense" said Daphne.

"You can't go anywhere without burning something, can you?" joked Harry as he reached for yet another scone – after all he was a growing boy.

"You want to find out first hand, Henri?" she narrowed her eyes wickedly at him. Harry held his hands up in surrender.

After about 30 minutes of waiting Boris returned with a satin cushion upon rested Daphne's wand. "8 inch, Aspen with unicorn tail hair." He presented it to Daphne "The Aspen grown in the cold climbs, high in the mountains buried in snow. Unicorn tail hair – a proud and majestic creature."

"The perfect wand for an Ice Princess" remarked Harry.

Daphne's glared at Harry and her wand flew off the satin cushion into her hand and she had cast sparks at Harry before anyone could stop her.

Except it wasn't sparks this time.

Out of her wand flew a bolt of lightening made from ice. Out of reflex, Harry threw up his left hand with a shield already formed. The ice lightning bolt smashed against Harry's shield.

Daphne dropped her wand, her hand flying to her cover her mouth as she gasped. "I am so sorry Harry, I don't know what happened. It was just meant to be sparks"

"It is ok Daph" he said pulling her into a hug. "although I think my cover is blown" he added looking at Boris who was standing there with a very calculating look on his face.

"Cyrus – you take the girls to get what they need from Flourish and Blotts. I will meet you at Florean's once Harry has his wand."

Seeing them out the door Roxanne turned around and looked at Boris who was still assessing Harry.

"Boris, how would you like to meet Harry Potter"


Cyrus, Daphne and Astoria were just exiting Flourish and Blotts where Daphne and been finalising her present shopping for Harry's birthday. Heading towards Florean's they were stopped by a slow and dangerous voice behind them.

"Lord Greengrass. It is good to see you again"

Cyrus silently cursed and setting a neutral look on his face he turned. Stepping casually in front of Daphne and Astoria.

"Good afternoon Lord Malfoy. It is good to see you as well. Sadly, business has kept Lady Greengrass and myself away from recent social gatherings."

"Yes, I have heard that your recent endeavours have been very profitable indeed."

"With things going so well maybe it is time to start thinking about the future. By the way, have you met my son Draco?"

From beside Lord Malfoy a miniature copy stepped forward to shake Cyrus' hand. Cyrus summed him up instantly. Spoilt, arrogant, and weak chinned.

Lucius glanced at Daphne and Astoria.

Cyrus got the hint and wanted to do anything but introduce his girls to this man. However pureblood manners meant he had no choice.

"These are my daughters Daphne and Astoria." They both gave Malfoy a small nod. The bare minimum required of them. They did not like the look of this man or his arrogant son.

Malfoy gave a small bow back to them. Copied by Draco.

"Very pretty girls Lord Greengrass. They take after their mother. Girls are such a blessing. Not like boys who are nothing but trouble" he said looking at Draco fondly. "It is the price you pay for having someone to take over as the head of the family eventually. I am sure that is something that weighs heavily on your mind Lord Greengrass. After all it is not like you have an Heir to take over as head of the Family."

"I wouldn't say that Lucius" Roxanne whispered into Malfoys ear from just behind him. Malfoy spun around, his heart beating out of his chest, how did she manage to get that close. He reached for his wand.

"Don't even think about it" a menacing voice said from beside him. Lucius turned his head to find a wand pointing at his neck. It was held by a boy. A boy whose eyes were glowing bright green. He could feel the power radiating off the boy.

"Allow me to introduce you. This is Henri Greengrass. My son" Cyrus said.