A/N: In which Little Jacque makes his apologies, as well as more toys for Harry...no, it's NOT a staff (but good guesses, all of you who put that in your reviews). Plus, Little Jacque knows just what's up with the boys. The promised Shout Out for the wand guessing is in the end A/N's, along with several others. Remember, when you have a wand custom made, just expect it to behave differently from an 'off the shelf' model....

Please see previous disclaimer (do I really need to say that for each stinking chapter? wouldn't just one at the very beginning suffice to cover the entire work? any ideas, oh gentle readers?)

Please send more Plot Bunny chow...I'm running out of toes!

Chapter 7

WHOOSH!

A gusher of sparks spewed from Harry's wand to splatter against the back wall of the testing room. Shocked, Harry dropped the wand and leaped back.

"Ah, good. That is about what I expected to happen." Clapping his hands together delightedly, the elderly wandmaker was all smiles.

"What?!?" Harry all but screeched as he backpedaled into Cedric's waiting arms.

"What do you mean, expected to happen?" Cedric wrapped his arms around the smaller boy protectively and half-turned, shielding Harry with his body. His anger crackled in his tone and the look he gave the grinning wandmaker threatened mayhem at any moment.

"Oh, my, please forgive an old man," Little Jacque LeGrande said. "I couldn't resist the chance to see how Mr. Potter's wand would respond without any interference from me. I must say, I'm quite delighted in how well it went, aren't you? Such a powerful display, with so little effort! Once you and the wand are accustomed to each other, it will be marvelous, simply marvelous!"

"You could have bloody well warned us!" Harry spat.

"Well, yes…but then, we would never have known just what the wand's true behavior in your hands would be. I do apologize, to the both of you, truly…but I have never seen such a tremendous display! Obviously, Mr. Potter has become accustomed to working very hard, too hard, with his old wand…and now that his magical core is free to fully engage a properly matched wand…."

"What do you mean, his core is free? Harry's core is still blocked! He can't fully access his core, until…." Cedric stopped, suddenly realizing just what he had said.

LeGrande's smile slipped a bit. "I'm sorry…I don't understand, there is no charm on this wand that would block Mr. Potter's core, quite the opposite in fact. Is there perhaps…something else I should know about Mr. Potter which you are not telling me?" he asked, gently.

Cedric just scowled and pulled Harry back against him. Harry, however, just sighed and straightened in Cedric's arms. "We found out this morning, at the hospital…there are blocks on me, blocks that prevent me from using my magic without a lot of effort." He turned back and looked at his boyfriend. "Cedric, its okay…I think we can trust Mr. LeGrande and Albert."

"Yes, certainly," Little Jacque waved their concerns away. "We LeGrandes have been keeping wizard's secrets for centuries. Rest assured that whatever you tell us will go no further. Now…you have blocks on your magical core? But that…that is preposterous! You are not a child, to have your magic blocked against accidents!"

"We know," Cedric said. "The doctor found that Harry's infant block was still in place, and that he has a second one on top of that one. According to the doctor Harry shouldn't have any more magic than a squib. Although, based on what you found on his wand, it looks like he was tapping his magical core all of this time to work his magic."

"Unthinkable! He has been at a magic school, yes? And in the infirmary more than once, if the stories are to be believed, yes?" LeGrande was looking at both boys with a penetrating gaze. Harry just looked down at his feet, leaving Cedric to nod in answer. "So…the school healers—they did not remove these blocks? Why, that is…that is…" he paused, his face clouding. Then, he seemed to reach some kind of decision.

"Albert!" Little Jacque barked.

"Yes, Uncle?" Albert had been standing to one side, shocked into silence by Harry's display and their subsequent revelations.

"Go to the front, at once. Bring me the matching Kingwood bracelets in the second case. Then, bring me my workbox, the red one, and the powdered Gryphon talon. Go!" With a nod, the young salesman almost ran out of the room.

"Mr. Potter, once again, you may trust both Albert and myself not to reveal your secrets. Also, had I known about your…condition, I would not have presented you with your wand as I did, and for that, I am sorry. Now, I need to explain to you what I believe happened, and what we must do for you in the future." He smiled gently at Harry and Cedric, his entire demeanor one of regret and concern.

"Each of the wands I gave you has but one charm on it…a charm that has been in my family for years. Albert is not yet aware of it, as he is too young, but soon, soon," LeGrande nodded to himself. "But I forget myself…this charm allows a wizard and his wand to quickly acclimate to each other, and is one of the reasons why a LeGrande wand is so highly valued. This charm activates the first time the wand is used, and directly connects the wand to its user's magical core. The sudden acquaintance of wand and core usually produces no more than an especially lovely shower of sparks, as Mr. Diggory has shown us. However, you, Mr. Potter," and here, the old wandmaker shrugged. "You, the Boy-Who-Lived—oh, yes, I know who you are, we are not complete fools here in France—have been living with a blocked core for all of these years. The result…well, the result was as you have seen. Once again, I am sorry." He sighed.

"It's all right, sir," Harry said softly. "You couldn't have known…after all, how often do you have to deal with a freak like me?"

"Harry!" Cedric barked out, angrily.

"Mr. Potter! I assure you that I do not regard you as a 'freak'. Victim of at least one heinous crime, yes…for to not remove your infantile magic block might—might, I say—be attributed to inexcusable negligence, but then to emplace a second such block? Criminal, I say! At least, in this country. Of course, in England, who can say…." He muttered the last, clearly not impressed with English law. Then, he said more loudly, "And then…to place upon your wand the charms which I found…I find it beyond comprehension! Tell me, Mr. Potter…aside from the Dark Lord, are you aware of having powerful enemies? That is the only explanation I can think of for what has been done to you." He stood there, one hand stroking his chin in thought.

Harry sighed, then looked up at Cedric, who met his eyes and shrugged. Before either of them could say anything, Albert returned with his arms full. Behind him came two assistants bearing chairs, who set down the chairs and left. Albert, on the other hand, set his load of goods down on the small table and stood there waiting for instructions.

"Very good, very good, Albert, thank you. Now, would you go and mind the shop? I will be here with these gentlemen for a few more minutes, then we will be joining you there." With a smile at Harry and Cedric, the younger man left the room.

When the three were alone again, Little Jacque pulled a chair up to the table and opened his workbox. Holding out a piece of silk to Harry, he said, "Mr. Potter, please be so kind as to use this to bring me your wand." As Harry warily did as he was asked, Little Jacque turned to Cedric. "Now, Mr. Diggory, I believe you will find that, as I said, you will acclimate to your new wand within a few days. And, the charm that connects your core with the wand will fade in about the same time, once a natural link has formed. I would not want you to think that I was like those who poisoned Mr. Potter's body and wand."

"I…thank you, sir." Cedric nodded.

"Do not thank me yet, as we are not finished. There is much yet to be done before Mr. Potter is made right. I presume that the physician you spoke with earlier has recommended a treatment for Mr. Potter?" While he was speaking, he was sorting through the supplies his nephew had brought him.

"Yes, sir. Harry's going to be taking a series of growth and nutrition potions for the next few weeks, and then when his growth has finished and his body is stronger, he will begin slowly unblocking Harry's magic." Cedric smiled reassuringly at Harry, who was carefully holding his new wand in the silk rag.

"I need the first potions because…I'm small for my age." Harry said. He didn't say any more, and Cedric kept quiet. Knowing how Harry felt about people knowing about his childhood, he saw no reason to further upset him.

"Do not be ashamed, my boy. I suspected as much, you are much too small for your age. It is not uncommon; I have known many who went through much the same thing. Take heart, it is soon over, and then you will never have to do it again, eh?" He grinned at Harry, carefully taking his wand from him without touching it. "Now, no doubt the healers wish your body to reach your normal growth before your core is unblocked, it is a matter of strength and body mass, you see?"

Harry smiled weakly. "Yes, sir…that's what they told me."

"Good, good…and when you come back from time to time, as they will surely wish to see you, you and your friend Mr. Diggory will of course come and visit an old man, yes?" Little Jacque's smile was wide and friendly, and if it masked his determination to keep a close eye on the young man for further perfidy, then what of it?

Harry and Cedric both smiled and agreed. After all, what else could they do, anything else would have been rude.

***

Little Jacque LeGrande, wandmaker extraordinaire, carefully took Harry Potter's new wand from its owner. He was careful not to touch the wand except where it was wrapped in silk cloth. LeGrande had just seen Harry put on an impressive display of magic without any appreciable effort, and he had no desire to touch the brand-new wand that had just been activated by its first touch of its owner's magical core.

Wrapping Harry's wand completely in silk, he returned it to the crimson wand bag Harry held out to him.

"Mr. Potter, once again I must apologize for not warning you about the activation charm which I placed on your wand. I had no idea that your core was blocked…although I can see the tear in your core, of course."

Cedric and Harry both started at this. Noticing their surprise, the Frenchman quickly reassured them. "It is a Gift which sometimes appears in my family, you see…the ability to see auras. My Gift is not so strong, but…I must tell you that both of your auras are powerful, very much so. And, you, Harry Potter…to me, your scar, it is all too easy to see that it is where your core is torn. I assume that our good Parisian healers told you that as well, yes?" Pleased when both boys nodded, he smiled warmly. "Good, good…it would anger me greatly if they had not, especially when you have come to this country for that which you could not get in your home. About that, I am still deciding whether to be angry or merely sad." The elderly gentleman shook his head, frowning.

"I don't have that problem," Cedric said. "I know I'm angry about it…but there's not much that I can do about it, not yet." He stood there, his fists clenched, determination written on his features.

"I think…" Harry started, then paused. "I think I'm a little of both, actually," he said softly, almost as if he was a bit surprised at how he felt. "I'm angry that it was done to me, but at the same time," he shrugged. "I'm sad that someone thought that it was something they had to do to a kid." He looked at Cedric, wanting comfort, and found a warm smile waiting for him.

"I, too, have similarly mixed thoughts," Little Jacque said quietly. "But my feelings for the persons who have done this thing, or allowed it to continue with their knowledge…for them, I have no such confusion." He frowned, then brightened. "But for now…we must deal with the world the way we find it, and not the way it should be, no? Now, Harry…may I call you Harry, and Cedric? And you, of course, shall call me Little Jacque, as is only right between friends such as we, yes? Now, Harry, I will not tell your healers how they are to go about caring for your body and your magical core. It is enough for me to do nothing that would interfere with that. What I can, and will do, is see to it that you have the implements you need to best use the Gifts which you have been given."

Cedric and Harry both smiled at the older gentleman after exchanging looks. When they turned back, Little Jacque nodded at something only he could see.

"Ah…I wish that I could share my Gift with you. Your auras, you see," he gestured between them. "They flow together when you are close…they dance and swirl together, they make such beauty." He turned warm eyes on the boys. "You must love each other very much," he said quietly.

Cedric momentarily froze, then relaxed as he realized that there was no censure in the wandmaker's tone. He nodded shyly, then noticed that Harry was blushing furiously…but also nodding with a wide grin on his face.

"Yeah, I do…even when he's a great thumping prat, which is most of the time."

"What?" Cedric burst out. "Why you little git, I'll show you who's a prat." Then, realizing he had been played, he just sat there, chagrined.

Little Jacque dissolved with laughter at the boys antics. "Oh, but I think that is one of the reasons why you love him, is it not? Both of you? If it were not so, I am thinking that the two of you would have become bored with each other long before now. As it is," he gave a magnificent Gallic shrug. "who knows? But for now, we must be about other things, no?"

As Harry and Cedric smiled to themselves (and Harry stuck out his tongue in response to Cedric's wink), Little Jacque chuckled and turned back to his things.

Muttering to himself, LeGrande looked thoughtfully at the bracelets his nephew had brought to him. Each bracelet was made of perfectly round beads of a light brown-reddish wood, about 1 centimeter in diameter. The beads were strung on some kind of leather thong and tied together at each end. Pulling a small tray from his workbox, LeGrande worked on undoing the knot holding one bracelet together. As he worked, he spoke over his shoulder to Harry and Cedric.

"Come here, boys, you should move your chairs up so that you can watch me, so that you will know what I have done here. These bracelets," he said, holding one up, "are carved of kingwood, which I obtain from time to time from the great forest of the Amazon basin. Kingwood embodies both the assertive masculine and warrior-feminine, and is most commonly used to make protective amulets and such—its protective properties are unmatched! It is a very decisive wood, and tends to vigorously oppose ambiguity. Often, it is used in spells and rituals designed to assist one in finding their true spiritual path. It is a wonderful wood for healing, and draws much of its strength from the will of the user. Although it is excellent for offensive spells and curses, I rarely use it in wands, oh no! It is much too powerful for the average witch or wizard—which, I think, is why these have sat in my shop for years and years. However, for our Harry here, I believe that they may be just the thing. Here, my friend, rub your fingers over one of these and tell me what you feel." He held out a single bead, which he had taken off the end of the bracelet he held.

Harry reached out with a careful finger and stroked the small sphere gently. As he did so, his eyes widened in surprise. "Its…its…humming! Its strange, but…its humming at me."

Little Jacque nodded. "Good, good…perhaps I should have given you a kingwood blank, but I didn't think…ah well, what is done is done. It is enough that the wood responds to you touch, oh yes. Now, to work!"

Carefully, the wandmaker stripped the beads off of their holding thong into the tray. Reaching into the box, he removed a spool of black leather cord and used his wand to cut a length of it.

"Graphorn hide," he explained. "Tougher than dragon hide and highly spell-resistant—ideal for magical bracelets such as these."

Stretching the thin length of graphorn leather out on the table, he carefully used his wand to score it lengthwise, end to end. Patting down his pockets absently, he removed a small vial which Harry recognized as being the one that held the Chinese fireball heartstring he had chosen for a wand core. With great care, LeGrande pulled out the coppery string and cut a piece—about half the length of the leather he had already prepared—before he resealed the vial. Gently, working with the utmost concentration, he carefully worked the heartstring into the score on the leather strap. Picking up his wand, he then used a quick Reparo on the cord. Looking at it closely, he made a moue of dissatisfaction, then reached into his workbox for a small white tube, which he used to place a clear drop of fluid at several spots on the leather, above where the heartstring rested.

Noticing Harry and Cedric's curiosity, he chuckled. "A fast-curing cyanomethacrylate polymer…our muggle cousins call it 'super glue'." Noticing their looks, he assumed a look of innocent confusion. "What…can our muggle friends not be allowed to invent anything useful? And if they do, why should I refuse to use something so valuable, just because it was developed by muggles?"

"I just wish more wizards had your attitude, Little Jacque. It would save us all so much grief," Harry said while Cedric nodded in understanding.

"Just so," LeGrande nodded his agreement. "Now, where did Albert put that…oh, here it is!" Picking up the powdered gryphon talon, he dusted a small amount onto the thong and rubbed it between his fingers for a moment. Then, he deftly reassembled the beads on the thong, knotting it tightly so that the beads would not slide. A tiny drop of glue on each knot ("better than a spell, finite will never remove it now") and he was done. It was the work of only another minute or so before the second bracelet had been redone, exactly as the first.

"Now! Let us see what we shall see…Harry, please take these and hold one in each hand. Do not be afraid, they are as yet inert, as I have not placed the activation charm on them."

After a brief glance at his boyfriend, who nodded his assent, Harry took the offered bracelets. When nothing exploded after a few seconds, he visibly relaxed.

"Harry, my friend—how do they feel?" Little Jacque was watching Harry intently.

"I can feel them humming, but not like before…it's different, not as intense," he said.

"Yes, yes, that is as it should be. The gryphon talon serves to insulate the core somewhat, as well as dampen down the wood's natural tendencies. Before you leave, do not let me forget to treat your wand with it, as well, yes? The powdered talon is only a temporary solution, but will slowly break down over the next week or so. That should prevent any accidents which might happen in the meantime. Also, these bracelets, once we activate them, will also serve to dampen down any too-rapid discharges from your core, do you see? Then, once you have been made whole again, these bracelets will help you to channel and direct your magic through your wand with more control and even more power than ever."

Harry nodded. The bracelets felt almost alive in his hands, but it was a very good feeling.

"Here, Harry…let me help you put those on," Cedric offered. With a grateful smile, Harry turned to his boyfriend, who easily tied each bracelet on a wrist. Each leather thong was a bit long, but when Cedric looked questioningly at LeGrande, he just shrugged.

"Young Harry has much growing yet to do…and the extra length, for now, can be wrapped back around the bracelet. Now, let me activate each one…gently, this time." He smiled as he took his wand, muttered a brief incantation and tapped first the left then the right bracelet. Immediately, Harry gasped as each bracelet glowed, then faded over a few seconds.

"That feels…different, I suppose…," he said. "Not bad, just odd, tingly, strange." He shrugged. "At least I haven't blown my hands off, yet."

"And you shall not, my friend," Little Jacque said with certainty. "These bracelets will help protect you against the kind of uncontrolled core surges as we saw earlier…which, fortunately, your new wand was able to tolerate without damage. Also, at need these bracelets will serve in place of a wand, with the added advantage that they will be much more difficult to loose in a dangerous situation. No one--at least, no English wizard—would ever think of these in place of a wand, but…." He grinned, picked up a piece of scrap cloth and tossed it to the floor some distance from them. "Now, my friend…try to levitate that rag. Gently, now…each bracelet has a core, just like your wand, remember."

Harry stood and walked a few steps away, then looked up. Seeing the two other men in the room looking at him expectantly, he smiled then nodded. Not knowing what else to do, he waved his right hand in a rough approximation of a 'swish and flick' while he said "Wingardium Leviosa".

With a jerk, the scrap of silk floated up to about head height. Startled, Harry jerked back, making the scrap jerk in response. After a moment, he realized that he could use his hands just as he had used his wand to control the motion of the cloth.

Within minutes, Harry was laughing happily as he made the scrap dance and cavort around the room. He had figured out that he could use either hand like a wand, and in fact could pass his control from one hand to the other just by willing it.

"Look, Little Jacque, Cedric…I can bounce it back and forth, like a ball!"

"Very nice, Harry…now we just have to teach you to juggle!" Cedric laughed back.

"Actually, that might not be a bad idea, my young friend," LeGrande said thoughtfully. "While I have never seen it done before, it should be not that difficult…and would make a wonderful training exercise, in any case."

Harry just shrugged. It seemed like there was always something new that he needed to be doing, or practicing. Well, at least juggling wouldn't be as boring as some other exercises, and might actually be fun.

Little Jacque had finished coating Harry's new ebony and lignum vitae wand with the powdered gryphon talon. While Harry played, he and Cedric talked quietly about Harry possibly being able to dispense with both wand and bracelets eventually, learning the rare skill of wandless magic. LeGrande was of the opinion that someone of Harry's obvious power should be more than capable of wandless casting, but to wait until his core was fully unbound and adjusted to his new power levels before even making the attempt.

"He has so far to go, don't you see? Let us not push him too hard, my friend. There will be time enough for that, I am sure. And in any case, his bracelets will allow him to fool many silly wizards, don't you think?" Cedric could only agree, thinking of some of his fellow Hogwarts students.

The Frenchman was just cleaning up his materials when his nephew burst into the room, startling all three of them. Quickly, Harry snatched the cloth out of the air before Albert could see him making it dance 'wandlessly'.

"Uncle, I am so sorry to interrupt you, but…there is another British wizard here who is insisting on speaking to Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory." Albert paused, then shrugged. "I would not have bothered you, but he was quite insistent. Not to mention, more than a bit rude about it."

"Well, you may tell him to wait! This is my shop, and these young men are my customers as well as my friends, and by Circe he can wait until we have finished our business!" Little Jacque LeGrande rumbled. He turned to Cedric and Harry to apologize, but Cedric only spoke quietly.

"Thank you, Little Jacque…but we knew it couldn't be long before we were found by one of Dumbledore's agents. We don't want to cause you any trouble, not after all the help you've given us."

"Pfffft! It has been my pleasure, and an honor! Nothing less! It is not often that I have a chance to indulge my skills for such fine young people. Now, here is your wand, Harry…Cedric you have yours, I take it? Most excellent. Now, remember, take a few minutes each day to use your new wand until it is more comfortable to you than your old one. Also, Harry, your bracelets should not interfere with any magical treatments you may receive, and they are, as we say 'wash and wear', so you may wear them in the bath without fear. It might be best for you to wear them at all times, especially for the next few weeks, do you understand? Good, good…now, is there anything else we must discuss just between us? No? Then, let us go and see who this is, who disturbs me, my shop, and my customers!"

Waving Albert on ahead, the elder LeGrande let Harry and Cedric precede him, then followed them into his showroom.

Waiting there impatiently was Bill Weasley. He did not look happy.

A/N: Big SHOUT OUT! to Exodiano for guessing one of the two woods (lignum vitae) in Harry's wand…and a kudos for a good alternate choice to the (other) wood Little Jacque used. Mithril is always a good choice for a magical metal, but Little Jacque is a purist…his wands are all wooden, unless another material is specifically requested. At any rate, and for those of you who are counting: Harry has four woods and two core materials he's shown affinity with. Will he get more? Probably not, at least for a while. First, he's got to learn how to use what he's already got….

Other Shout Outs!: the amazing antarprince (whose consistent, thougtful reviews not only keep me honest, but keep point out to me things I missed in my own work...you should all be so lucky as to have a reviewer half so good), the ever-mischievous Miss Idina Malfoy (resident of the Mother Country who has promised to help an old man with his 'British-isms' so that these fics will be as British as tea and Her Majesty herself), the eminent xJacksonx (whose Harry/Cedric fic 'Decoding You' is a ripper of a pre-TriWizzy fic, highly recommended for you enjoyment), the stupendous (who referred me to the twoseekers community on LiveJournal...and reminded me that duh, I also have a LiveJournal site I should be maintaining, bad guru, bad guru), and finally...all of you who have read my fics in 51 countries around the globe (wow!), especially those of you who've reviewed. I'm not going to mention each and every reviewer by name, because I'd invariably have a cerebral flatus moment and forget someone, which would NEVER do...but you know who you are, and know that you're both appreciated and loved! It is for you that I do this, when I really should be doing other things *snicker*...but these darn plot bunnies just won't stop chewing on me!

Happy New Year, all!

Yes, there's MORE chapters to come...heh heh heh...I'm not NEARLY finished with the boys yet!