She had never felt so small before. The black building loomed above her. She needed to go in there, but she couldn't move her legs.
"Aren't you going in?" Her mother asked.
"Won't you come with me?" Avery shook with fear.
"Your father and I decided years again that this is a special moment and you need to experience it on your own. Your brother did it."
"He's braver than I am."
"I believe in you." Her mother pushed her gently towards the building. "Go on, sweetie. We will come to get you soon."
Avery finally stepped up to the door and gave her mother one last look before entering. The lighting was dim. Everything had a fine layer of dust with some corners having cobwebs. Trying to peer down the rows, her brain manipulated the shadows into creatures crawling towards her.
She slowly stepped back bumping into someone. Avery flipped around to see an old man standing behind her holding several long skinny boxes.
"Are you Ollivander?" She gulped.
"I am," he answered. "You look like a Swann."
"Yes, sir, my name is Avery Swann," She introduced.
A large smile grew on his wrinkled face. "Ah, yes," he shuffled around to his desk. "To give another Swann their wand, that is a true treat. Your family line has been gifted with the most powerful and unique wands. Your father, Jericho Swann, eleven inches, cypress wood with a dragon heartstring," Ollivander shoved boxes away in the shelves, "An incredible wizard in his own right."
Avery watched him pull out a box and bring it to her.
"Try this one," he opened it.
A light brown wand rested in the box waiting for Avery to pick it up.
She picked it up and was about to get used to its feel when Ollivander snatched it from her hand. He gave her another box and started to try that one. They continued the cycle of her trying a wand and him taking it away.
About an hour into it, Ollivander appeared defeated. "I don't understand. Most of these wands are good…" he trailed off.
Avery watched him disappear into a back room, only to reappear with a strange wand. Ollivander extended it to her but before she could take it, he pulls it away.
"This is a special wand. The only kind I have ever made." He slowly held it to her.
Shaking, she took it by the handle. A warm tingling sensation ran down her hand. Avery admired its design and weight. It felt like a part of her that she didn't know was missing.
Ollivander was pleased. "Very good, I always wondered who this wand would choose."
"Sir," Avery cautiously asked, "You said this was a special wand."
"Yes, quite special. It is the only wand I ever made with a special core. My wandmaker friend in America wanted to see what I could with a Thunderbird feather."
"Thunderbird," she wondered aloud.
"A very powerful magical creature native to the Americas," Ollivander explained. "It was difficult to work with. It was very picky about the wood that would make its home. Yew wood, twelve inches," Ollivander took the wand and placed it in the box. He can closer to Avery. "Promise me that you will look after it."
"I promise."
"I'm glad you agreed to spend time with us." Luna's whimsical voice spoke.
"I mean how can I say no when I had a wand poking my back." Avery teased. "But no seriously, I'm glad you guys wanted to see me."
"To be perfectly honest," Ginny tossed her long ginger hair over her shoulder, "I needed a break away from the kids. The boys are visiting for the Christmas Break and it's been crazier than normal. James has been pulling destructive pranks around the house. Albus and Lily haven't been very helpful in keeping the house clean. "
"It doesn't help that Molly has been trying to pull the family together, despite everyone's busy schedule." Hermione sipped on her butterbeer. "Ron and George have been working overtime at the shop with the holiday season coming."
"And Harry has been swamped with the Flanigan case still." Ginny agreed.
"Why did they take you off the case?" Luna turned to Avery. "I thought you knew the most about him and were one of the top Aurors."
Avery drummed her fingers on her pint mug. "It's complicated," her phone vibrated again, "irritatingly complicated."
"Thirty-second time," Hermione counted. "Who wants your attention so bad?"
"As I said, it's complicated."
"So what will you be doing for Christmas?" Luna posed.
"I, unfortunately, have to be keeping an eye on someone for an assignment."
"Who?" They said in unison.
Avery sighed, "Ever heard of Sherlock Holmes?"
Hermione, Ginny, and Luna looked visibly shocked.
"I take it that you know him," Avery assumed.
"He is only the most famous detective in the Muggle world. He's even well known in the Wizarding World." Hermione explained. "I have to admit I'm a huge fan of his work."
"That's pretty cool that you get to work with him," Ginny confessed.
Avery's phone went off again. "Are you kidding me? He is a pretentious, self-centered, egotistical, arrogant asshole. He drives me nuts, he's always suspicious of me, and he tries to put himself in charge of me. It's like he can't handle the idea that I have an opinion as well. He's so infuriating."
"That sounds like your first description of Aeren," Luna commented casually over her tea.
All eyes were on Avery.
"Aeren was different," Avery defended.
"I don't know how there could be a difference," Hermione interjected. "I even remember you using the same words to describe Aeren."
"Let's just drop this." Avery cutover.
"Why not?" Ginny insisted. "You hear more about our lives than we ever hear about yours. We worry about you. You are our friend, just as much as we are to you."
"I don't -"
"You used to be so outgoing and open. I know the events at Hogwarts was hard on you, hard on all of us, really. " Luna touched Avery's hand. "You just dealt with it much differently than we did. You shut us out. You buried yourself in work."
"Luna's right." Ginny agreed. "This is the first time in years since we were able to get you to come to hang out with us."
"I need a break from Sherlock and his ridiculousness," Avery excused herself.
"It's not that we are not happy you are here." Hermione simplified. "We are just worried about you."
Avery bowed her head stroking the side of her mug with her thumb. "I know that you are my friends and you worry. I appreciate that. But I'm okay. Really, I'm okay."
After their hangout, Avery visited the Leaky Cauldron and drank herself into a mess. Avery landed in her flat as the room stopped spinning. She stumbled to her bed and face-planted on the warm sheets.
At least, she had enough mind power to apparate home before she got too buzzed to function. As her eyes became heavy, she flicked her wand and her trunk opened. Her world went dark just as Grimm came to cuddle her to sleep.
Grimm's licks woke her from her drunken sleep. Her head pulsed and she felt nauseous. Avery reached for her wand.
"Accio Pumpkin Juice."
A bottle flew into her room and crashed on to the pillows. Avery sat up stretching. Grimm grabbed the bottle. She accepted it from him and took a long drink from it.
"I should have stopped at four drinks." She muttered digging through her bedside table. Avery removed a small glass vial filled with a silvery liquid. Her hangover disappeared as soon as she swallowed some of it.
Grimm's tail thudded against the bed when their eyes met. Avery sighed and scratched behind his ears.
"You're such a good boy," she crooned.
"I didn't know Mrs. Hudson allowed dogs here." John's voice announced his arrival.
"Well, technically, he doesn't live here. He lives in my trunk." To John's unsure expression, she pressed. "It has an expandable charm that leads to split dimension where he lives along with some others of his kind."
"You rescue dogs," John simplified.
"I rescue magical creatures called Grim that are specters who take the form a black dog, considered an omen of bad luck and death in the Wizarding World. They are often hunted and killed on sight," Avery opened her closet and popped open the trunk. Grimm hopped in and she closed it again. "I save them from death. They are quite harmless, good parents to their children, and rather humble beings. Honestly, they just have bad instincts as they are drawn to future death. It's not their fault that they have that drive. Just like how it's not your fault that you are addicted to danger."
John nodded slowly. "I think I have seen one before. When I was in Afghanistan, there's something that looked a lot like that. It was just wandering around the battlefield. I thought I was the only one who saw. Someone wanted to shoot it down but they couldn't move. They were scared."
Avery poured herself a cup of coffee and offered John one as well. "Grims do have that effect on people. They can't help it. It's just something about seeing a strange creature in a place riddled with death that scares the mind."
"What made you decide to rescue them?"
"That's a long story." Avery sat on her couch patting the seat next to her.
John joined her.
"As you know, I've worked as an Auror for many years. During one of our cases, my partner and I found one being tormented by a community of wizards. We saved him and revived him. While not fully domesticated, the Grim grew to trust us enough to know that we were trying to save him and that we wanted the best for him."
"Was that the Grim you were talking about?" He flicked his hand towards the bedroom.
"Oh, no, the Grim I am talking is the head leader of the pack I keep in the trunk. He maintains balance while I'm away."
"How many do you have in there?"
"Twelve, the one you saw was my youngest. He developed a domesticated relationship with my former partner and me. He acts more like a dog than a specter."
John finished his tea. "So, I need a favor."
"A favor," Avery flicked her wand and the teacups flew to the kitchen and started to wash themselves. "What kind of favor?"
"Is it possible for you to bring some of your wizarding treats to the Christmas party?"
Avery's eyebrows rose. "That can be a possible secrecy risk."
"I'm not asking for the magical ones, just ones that taste really good."
Avery smiled to herself. "I can think of a few things."
I know it's pretty short but I had time to whip something up. The Christmas party is the next chapter. Molly will be introduced and Sherlock is a jerk. Can't wait. Thank you for your support and patience. This summer I'll be more on top of writing and story delvelopment (also characters).
