* * * A Cullenary Delight * * *
"Absolutely marvelous!" Garrick praises with fervent gratitude… and it isn't long before the concluding details of their transaction are being sorted out. Bella's wand is complimentary, of course. He can't thank them enough for the opportunity this new core type has afforded him, and hopes they will feel thoroughly invited to offer up more such samples in the future.
Indeed, he is quite happy with their tentative offer to supply for additional wands, once they have a chance to return home and 'present his case'. Surely, the glowing reports of their wands' design – along with Garrick's willing promise to inform them, if they would like, of the nature of every specific wand produced and who it's matched to when it's made – will go a long way towards making that outcome possible.
It already has, Edward knows. In light of these quite promising developments, Rosalie and Jasper both have reconsidered donating for the cause… and the others are variously interested in offering up more. Truly, if Bella and Albus could be any indication… it stands to reason that any odd person off the street our wands would ultimately choose – might just be someone we would also get along well with, if not truly enjoy to meet. As well, through such an one any of us could confidently approve of – it seems we now have an unprecedented ability to help the world… in such a way as apparently requires neither hazardous daily interaction, nor threat of exposure… nor even the devastation of creating short-lived emotional bonds. A win-win situation all around.
His offer is gladly accepted, of course.
Additionally, following a clumsy moment on Bella's part (saved by Edward, naturally) which causes her to voice worry about her dainty-looking wand breaking sometime when he wouldn't be there to catch her (even if it is 'sturdy') – Mr. Ollivander takes the chance to inform them of his belief in this core's extreme durability… to a concerning degree, even. Truth be told: he's not sure he would be able to unmake any wand of this core-type that turned out wrongly. In response to his fears, the Cullens willingly offer their services to take back and see to the destruction of any wand that he could ever find unfit to be sold from their families' cores, just in case. (The fact that Alice can clearly see nothing of the sort will ever become necessary, is definitely encouraging.) This promise comes as a liberating relief to the renowned wandmaker, because it will allow him to truly experiment with a clear conscience.
Finally, as the purchase of Mr. Dumbledore's obviously treasured Cullen-core wand is happening in the background, Bella can't help but marvelingly reflect upon the surprising and amazing circumstances surrounding her own. Her wand is of Edward – truly a welcome manifestation of his being – and was even acquired in such a way as didn't require them to outlay any money for it. For the first time, her vampire has managed to 'buy' her a gift that she could truly love to receive. (A 'finally!' for him, she knows, unable to keep from smiling her pleasure at him with a blush.) It feels so good in her hand.
Admittedly, what she's going to do with it, now that she has it – she's not entirely sure. Magic is too strange a phenomenon for Charlie's world… and as yet – still pretty strange for even hers. Much more concernedly problematic, however, is that: The Cullens don't have any wands of their own, and it's clear their prospects are a lot less promising than mine were. What if they can't find anything? What good could ever come of having a wand, if I couldn't share the experience with them? she frets. If Edward wasn't able to join me in the prospect of using it? The very idea of it just sounds so empty. They so much deserve to be able to have the warmth of a similar instrument in their hands; I want that for them. She sighs, frustrated. But… I'm only human, she laments. No magical essence there. "I wish I could do the same for you," she silently voices her regret.
Because his hand is already splayed out comfortingly against her back, fingers playing with her hair in absent circles (once the pending threat of her disappearance had passed, unsurprisingly he hadn't wanted to relinquish the security of their constant contact while still within the wizarding world), Bella notices immediately when Edward suddenly freezes into stillness. Upon further observation, he's looking at Alice – who's looking back at her with a wide-eyed and widening grin of excitement even as, beside her, his lips twitch in apparent pleasure. When his gaze subsequently shifts to meet hers, briefly she can see just as much ever-loving excitement shining therein as well.
However, she doesn't expect his voice, suddenly whispering into her ear, to be tinged with awe. "You can!" he tells her reverently, his quiet but fervid statement automatically catching every Cullen's attention with discreet surprise and avid interest.
"You've got to be kidding," Bella breathes. I'm not magical; it sounds too good to be true.
But he shakes his head, watching her with earnest sincerity.
"Seriously?!" she asks doubtfully, not daring to hope. Yet when Edward nods once in solemn amazement, and Alice can be seen watching them both with a big smile on her face (backed by Jasper, whose enthusiasm is encouraging), her excitement spikes. "Really?!" she mouths, "I can do this for you!"
Alice nods back with perky animation. Indeed, she and Edward both were quite pleasantly shocked by the implications of her vision, after no core species had been shown to be conclusively compatible or otherwise useable in their hands. Still, the image was definite: Edward was wielding a wand… which worked fabulously for him, to Garrick's utter astonishment… and it was a wand which Alice could clearly see!
It has to be Bella! she had determined with glee. The only other wands I've been able to see are the ones produced from us… and it was her comment that triggered the vision in the first place. Yes! she enthuses, running through additional possibilities to test and confirm the wisdom of her conclusion. The potential images are flying through her head at breakneck speed, all crystal clear and very encouraging. At this point – introducing a sample from her into the mix won't even have Garrick second-guessing our stories. Rather, you'll be telling us it actually very well enhanced them. Good job, Edward! He's that sold. In fact: I see it would confuse him more if we were to produce some-odd family member's human core (let alone a lot of the same!) from among those we allegedly brought with us, as if such an unconventional possibility had been something we'd planned to pursue all along… or, if we were ultimately unable to find wands at all. Oh Bella, you're marvelous! We get to perform magic!
By the time Garrick presently returns his attention to them along with the query "Can I do anything else for you?", Edward and Bella are both smiling brightly at each other while his hand (the one not holding her ponytail, that is) gently combs through the hair at the base of her skull, causing her lashes to flutter closed while her head leans blissfully into his cool and pleasant touch. Suddenly sorry for interrupting the moment, nevertheless the renowned proprietor and Albus both can't help but smile at this clear show of affection.
"Actually, yes," Edward replies charmingly. "If it's alright, I'd like to request for one more wand to be made – as an experiment – to see if… this," he offers up a single strand of long mahogany hair, "could possibly work for me. While I'm fairly sure that it's not going to offer the same degree of magical potency as the others did, or even as you might expect it should – still, it's someone I'm rather partial to. If you'd be willing to give it a try, I'd be more than happy to reimburse you for the effort – even if it doesn't work."
Standing rather beside his human colleague at this point, and having immediately deduced the new core-donor's identity, Albus is at once shocked and delighted – suspecting that it isn't just by chance that Edward is pursuing this unexpected possibility. A human core wand, he marvels. Of course! he competently recognizes: these vampires wouldn't be in need of power, just focus. Wow! I wonder if we of the magical world… would have ever thought of that.
"Not as potent, you say?" the wandmaker queries curiously as he readily receives this new core for examination. "Why would that be?"
Edward shrugs. "She's human," he answers unworriedly, as he lovingly meets the eyes of his companion.
Ollivander's eyes abruptly widen with the realization that he's just indicated Bella to be the donor of this core. Human, indeed! And only just recruited from muggle society. No more than a zero on the potency scale! Inconceivable, and yet… strangely, it all makes a hopeful kind of sense. It's more than possible that the humans of their heritage would be able to succeed as matches – where the beings of their heritage did not. And she is gearing up to be one of them. Already, their two trends have matched up remarkably well. So, the only (major) question left is whether her distinct lack of potency is going to do him any good.
It's hard to imagine it could. Our cores have only ever produced powerlessly inactive wands; nothing more than a sad waste of material. Add to that the fact that numerous more magical counterparts have proven inherently unwieldable by any person of the same (or, occasionally, too similar of) species… and it's just not worth it. For those very reasons, I doubt a one of them has been made in the last many hundred years. I'll hate to have to be the bearer of bad news.
And yet… if their genetic makeup truly does favor their magical heritage – so much as to make them incompatible with it – they might have a magic of their own. A watered down version of the original, no doubt, but still – putting wands into the hands of potentially magical wielders delves into precarious territory. Could a human-core wand actually work for such a being? Provide focus, without magnifying any inherent capability to an unsafe level? I've never thought to consider it before.
Historically, on the few occasions hybrids have proven to be incompatible with their parent species, they were inevitably fitted with an alternate magical-species match. Maybe, that was more of a hazardous situation than we thought? If they had been at all magical themselves, it surely could have been… though, thankfully, no problematic reports ever came of having done so. Did their magical capacities stay within an acceptable range, then? (Because of their human roots, I suppose?) Surely we'd have heard about it if they hadn't; too much power going to their heads, and all.
He exhales slowly. Yet, this is a significantly more powerful heritage than most. Would putting a typical wand into these hybrids' hands risk wandlessly enhancing an intrinsic aptitude to dangerous proportions? It seems that could be possible; maybe even likely… although not if it had a human core. Truly, if such a thing were legal to experiment with – I doubt an instrument of that constitution would even be ethically problematic in the hands of a full-blooded magical being! Far too weak. (Not that the makeup of such a wand would be evident to others from a distance, however; as soon as the first hint of such an instrument was discovered, we'd suddenly have every magical species fighting for the privilege to hold one! Then, when most of them didn't take to a human core – what a headache that would be! Shudder. Better to keep them all wandless.) Still, very curious. Very curious indeed.
Coincidentally, for any purposes relating to the testing out of this hypothetical viability of a human-core wand… I couldn't have asked for a better set of experimental guinea pigs, figuratively speaking. Whatever magic their species may in fact inherently be harboring, they're still all only hybrids… so I'm dealing with historically safe ranges of ability here. On top of that, their heritage is so chock full of Defense Against the Dark Arts exemplars… that it would be hard to go wrong! And, he loves her. Hmmm. Maybe, this could work.
A/N: By the way, in case any of you might have seen it and gotten confused: the last two chapters' titles have been switched since they were posted. :)
Thanks for reading and sharing!