Kate POV

"Hmmm! Someone has a bit of power here!"

Kate had barely been able to gasp as someone grabbed at her arm pulling her a little closer to the area that had given her the willies when she had first arrived with Harry and Hermione. She hadn't said anything, not know if she would inadvertently say something offensive. Looking down she saw a wrinkly old hand with long ragged nails holding onto her arm while another almost caressed her skin. Looking up, she saw a hag, there was no other way of describing her. She looked like how witches had usually been depicted at Halloween back in Hawaii. She almost looked like the hag form that the Evil Queen had taken in Snow White when she presented the poisoned apple.

"Let….let go of me." She stuttered, trying to pull away and not panic. She didn't know if by pulling away roughly like she wanted to would cause the woman to hurt her. What did this woman want? "Please…let go."

"Ohh…dearie! Such fear to go with such power! Why do you fear what you are? I could show you…oh the spells I could show you! Such wonderful magic!" She cackled. "All would tremble before you!"

Kate whimpered and nearly collapsed in joy as she saw a wand pressed to the woman's wrinkled throat and the hand holding it with a family ring made of wedding rings.

"Let. Her. Go. Now." Hermione said with confidence.

"Oh! Antonia meant no harm to the powerful child!" The hag played off as being in awe of Hermione, but it was obvious she just knew that she was at a disadvantage. "You wouldn't hurt an old woman, would you?"

"Not unless I was given a reason." Hermione said simply. "Go about your business." She gently put her hand on Kate's shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

The witches turned and Kate saw that Hermione hadn't been alone in her rescue, Harry and George still hand their wands out and pointed in the direction of the hag who was dramatically hobbling away, muttering curses about muggleborns under her breath.

Harry was the first to lower his wand, but it was obvious he was keeping a great deal of attention on the hag and the others around them. He'd explained that he worked as an Auror the day before, what she would understand as a magical detective. At the moment, it was more like magical Secret Service."Kate, are you alright?" He looked her in the eye. "Did she cast any spells? Put anything on your skin? Take anything from you?"

Kate shook her head, feeling a little shaky as he took her hand and moved her arm around to check for any signs of injury. "No. No she just…she wanted to teach me…to use my power….to make people…fear me." She shuddered. "She grabbed me so suddenly. I couldn't even yell out."

"It's alright pet. Some of the scum from Knockturn Alley like to venture farther out than they should." George said, indicating the offshoot of Diagon Alley that looked like it was falling apart and seedy beyond measure. "Don't ever go down there. Ever. Okay?"

She nodded up at the ginger wizard. "It gives me the creeps. And it's not even because of how it looks. I got the creeps before when we walked by it."

"That'd be the dark magic that's still practiced by people there." Hermione said softly. "You are a person of light magic, Kate. So your magic is adverse to contact with Dark." She paused. "Are you alright?"

Kate nodded. "Thank you for rescuing me."

Hermione smiled. "Let's not make it a habit."


"How is the server going to bring us our food if our plates are here?" Kate asked, confused.

"Server?" George asked, sounded confused himself.

Hermione explained. "In muggle restaurants, they bring the food out to you from the kitchen. Kate, here we just tap what we want on the menu with our wands and it appears before us. Like at Hogwarts."

Kate nodded her understanding before voicing her next concern. "But I don't have a wand."

"No worries love. I'll do it for you." George said from his seat next to her.


"This is new." George murmured, taking Kate's hand and looking at the Baylor family ring on her finger.

"Oh. It's the family ring. We went to the bank before we came to see you, like I said before. It was in the vault."

George nodded. "It's very nice love." He looked closer. "Is that a phoenix?"

Kate stiffened, thinking of what her father's voice had told her from the parchment. About the Phoenix Potential. "Yeah, it is." She confirmed softly, pulling her hand away and looking back at the menu.

"Kate? Did I say something wrong?"

"It's not you George. It's complicated." Harry said softly.

"My father mentioned it in the talking parchment." Kate said as loudly as her voice would let her. "Saying how they had to run to protect me because I was showing signs in the womb of having something called the Phoenix Potential." She swallowed. "It's how I…I did what I did."

"I've never heard of anything like that before."

Kate shrugged. "Join the club. I guess it's something that only happens every few hundred years with really old pureblood families." Her fingers played with the ring on her finger as her mind flashed with the memory of that night that her power displayed itself. Of the release, the rage, the feeling of being completely uncontrolled and terrified.

"Love, come back to us." George murmured, putting his hand over hers. "We'll figure this out okay? These two are notorious for that. And I'm notorious for providing distractions."

She looked up to see caring blue eyes looking back at her. She gave him as best a smile as she could. "Okay."

George's POV

George looked up when he saw the doors of Ollivander's open and was confused when he saw a subdued Harry holding open the door for an equally subdued Hermione and Kate. Even stranger, none of them were holding a bag with the familiar outline of a wand box inside it. Did Ollivander actually fail to find someone a wand?

"What's with the glum faces? Ollivander losing his touch?" He asked, standing up and walking over. Now he was wishing he hadn't been distracted by the kids who'd spotted him and begged him for a trick.

"More like my touch is too much." Kate murmured, not looking up.

"What? I don't understand."

"Mr. Ollivander didn't have any wands that seemed capable of containing Kate's magic." Hermione explained. "It's not your fault Kate. You didn't know. You couldn't have predicted how they would react."

"What happened?" George asked, more confused than ever. Wands either worked or they didn't. Sure, you might blow out a window or knock over a few boxes if it wasn't the right one, but what kind of reaction did they mean?

"Each one he handed to me, when I flicked it, it exploded." Kate said softly, still not looking up. "I wasn't even trying or anything. I don't even know how to."

George's eyebrows felt like they were going to fly off his head, he was that shocked. Exploded? Wands were specifically made to reign in magic, not be destroyed by it. "Really? How many did you try?"

"Seven." She said. "He wanted to keep going, but I just didn't want to destroy any more of his products. Seems that's all I'm good for."

"Kate, no. You know that's not true." Harry spoke up before George could, putting his hand on her shoulder. "It might just be a matter of your magic being a bit stronger than most and you not having the control you need for a wand. We can always come back in a few weeks and see if there's a difference."

George spoke up, hating seeing Kate so dejected after the small smiles he'd been feasting on since they had arrived in the shop and then during lunch. He wanted to bring those smiles back. "Harry's right love. Wands really are just a focus point than anything else. Otherwise we wouldn't have wandless spells. Maybe you are just meant to do your spell work wandless."

She shrugged. "I guess so."

"Come on, I think we could all use a treat. Why don't we go down to the sweet shop, see if we can't clear them out of some candies." He put his arm around Kate's shoulder and tucked her tiny frame affectionately into his. "If you thought the Chocolate Frog you had yesterday was something else, just wait till you see what other wizarding candies are like!"

"Is that your answer for everything, boys? Treats and sugar?" Hermione said, sounding exasperated. George remembered that her parents had been Muggle teeth healers and for whatever reason, they avoided treats and puddings for the sake of their teeth.

He looked at Harry and they both shrugged. "Pretty much."

A small smile could be seen on Kate's face. "It works for me."


"Did you find an owl, love?" George walked over to where Kate was standing, apparently having a staring contest with a tawny colored hawk owl. Part of him imagined seeing an 11 year old Kate doing her shopping for Hogwarts, her father there, in wizarding robes patiently waiting for her to make her decision. Perhaps his family would have shopped with hers. It was sad to think how her experience in the magical world had yet to be joyful.

"Yeah I think so. She's been staring at me the whole time we've been here."

"Owls tend to do that."

"No, I mean she's been watching me specifically."

George shrugged at watched the two before another thought came to his head. "How do you know it's a girl?"

"It's obvious George. Look how pretty she is." And then before he could say anything she snorted. "George, I worked as a vet or what I guess you'd call an animal healer. I know where to look to be able to tell."

He felt his remaining ear burn in embarrassment. How obvious was that? "So do you want this one then?"

Just then, the owl blinked and Kate let out a sigh, blinking herself. "Fucking finally." She turned to him with a relaxed, small smile. Apparently being around animals helped her. He'd have to remember that. And the fact that Americans didn't seem to have any qualms about cursing. "Yes, I like her."

"Well then, she'll be my gift to you. To welcome you to the wizarding world and all."

"You don't have to do that!"

"Uh oh, do what?"

They both turned to see Harry and Hermione approaching them.

"George wants to buy the owl that I like for me!"

"That's actually quite sweet George!" Hermione said with an approving smile.

"Oi! You act like I've never done anything sweet in my life." he said, acting playfully indignant. "I'll have you know that I'm a very considerate fellow for a prankster."

"Like that time that you charmed Ron's pants to cheer any time he had gas?" Harry said with crossed arms.

"Or that time that you magicked the toilet seat to scream when Percy used the bathroom?" Hermione took a similar posture to her boyfriend.

"Or when you convinced Ginny that Hermione was lesbian and in love with her?" Harry said, a smirk on his face.

"You did WHAT?" Hermione all but screeched, apparently not knowing about that particular prank.

"Oh bloody fuck." George groaned. So much for the remaining ear. "Damn you Potter."

"WHEN. WAS. THIS?" Hermione all but growled.

"Your final year at Hogwarts. Remember how you said you thought Ginny was acting strange around you?" Harry said, obviously trying not to laugh.

"George Weasley! You FINK!"

Now George was struggling not to laugh even as he was trying to subtly back away from Hermione. He could try to make a break for it but that might lead to horrible repercussions for his bum. "It's not my fault my sister is gullible! And that you and Ronnikins had broken up so spectacularly."

"Ron helped?"

"It was his idea. Bitter one at the time, my baby brother."

"I'll kill him. Slowly."

Kate chuckled a little, looking like she was feeling a little better thanks to the hijinks of her new friends. "If it helps, I would have been flattered if I was Ginny."

Both men broke up laughing and Hermione couldn't help but giggle. "Thanks Kate. That's sweet." She hooked her arm in Kate's. "But I'm still going to kill Ron."