* * * Signature Recipe * * *

Because the proffered core is of Edward's oh-so-rare fiancé, who was chosen of a rowan wand, Garrick can't help but imagine that the complementary grain of elder might actually be the one for him. Theoretically, these details indicate his will always be the closest and dearest relationship of hers, which fact could potentially satisfy elder's need to be with the best. Yet, the diligent wandmaker is reluctant to pair such a darkly-potentialled wood to a previously untried core. He wouldn't want to have to squash the experiment prematurely, on account of the need to destroy any wand that turned out poorly. There's already too much chance that such a thing will happen; he doesn't want to make the odds of it even worse. Elder has a tendency to do that. A small consolation is that: at least by having a human core, the wand would be easy to destroy if necessary.

Unbeknownst to the preoccupied wandmaker, Edward is well aware of precisely which woods his and everyone else's wands will need to be formed with, courtesy of Alice's visions. Already, however, it seems Mr. Ollivander is going to need a bit of help to avoid talking himself out of initially experimenting with some of the ones they'll need. Bella doesn't have that many hairs to spare all in one day; our efforts need to be efficient. Thus, in response to a few discreet and timely requests in direct correlation with the learned wizard's train of thought, gentle nudges from Jasper's talent encourage Mr. Ollivander to override his reluctances, and accept their hints as necessary.

Meanwhile, Albus – who is also unknowingly standing within the influence of Jasper's talent – is feeling suddenly confused by the odd course of his thoughts. Somehow, his own simple hankering for a lemon drop in the near future has morphed into a curious conspiracy of word games – admittedly fascinating in their own right, to be sure – but which have meanings that seem inordinately profound in concert with the odd whims of his emotions, even as the significance of their conclusions eludes him. 'Lemon drops' = 'melon prods'; hmmm, keep going, that's not it. 'A Lemon Drops' = 'Op.(eration) solar mend'. Oh, much better! Though, I don't understand why. Grammatically incorrect, however, and uses an abbreviation; I'll drop the plural. Alright, so… 'a lemon drop' = 'polar demon'. Yes! That sounds relevant… and strangely exciting. Huh? Why is that? Well, in any case, I suppose it does fit with the vampire theme. Come to think of it, that sounds like an amazingly good train of thought to develop, so here goes: VAMPIRES = 'Voldemort's Abominable Mission Processed Into a Really Evil Species'. Hmmm. Accurate, in a way… but also quite biased and unflattering. Neither is it necessarily true (most thankfully!), so there's got to be something more appropriate. 'Veritably Ancient Muggle Persons In Red Eyed Servitude'? Good… and very possibly correct… though extreme age is unique to only the U-Vampire. So then: 'Unquestionably Very Advanced Magical Potential Inhabiting Respectable Entity Shape'. (Chuckle.) I like that one, and it's appropriate in current company, too, even if not entirely reflective of the species. An imagined picture of the typical red eyes comes to mind. Nope; it definitely isn't that. They are what they eat, it would seem.

But of course… as his mental picture shifts to a view of the Cullens' golden eyes, it's clear he hasn't been associating their color to be in relation to the blood they drink. There's so much more to it than that. (Animal blood or otherwise, it's all still red!) Rather, it would have to mean they'd been chowing down on sunshine all this time, figuratively speaking. Hmmm; like chewing on lemon drops? That's hardly in character. Still, if they were – in a roundabout undead manner of thinking, for sure – we would have this in common. Hmmm, how could that work? LEMON DROP = 'Lacking Either Man-eating Or Narcissistic Designs…'; good but, uh… then what? '…Diamonds Rough Or Polished'? Hmm, needs work. 'Light Emitting Mature Ones Nevertheless Drastically Redefining Our Perceptions'. Oh, that's very nice! Definitely one to remember. Okay then, so let's have the whole thing again: Lightly Eyed… no, no, wait – that's not how it started. Oh, I'm losing the thought already! We can't have that, it was just right; I don't want to forget this. Something about lemon drops turning polar demons into rays of sunshine…

Edward mentally chuckles. Albus has never experienced Jasper's talent before, clearly, and this first taste of it is coming to him second-hand. It's uncanny how effectively a simple emotion can direct one's train of thought. Though the rest of them are plenty familiar with the anomaly of the experience by now, having felt it many times before, it's not often a human has ever had cause to notice such an emotional effect that wasn't meant for them. (Truly, since Jasper became part of the family and learned about what mental processes use of his talent tended to spontaneously trigger in a person, he has always been very careful to only introduce an emotion when any untargeted persons who shouldn't know could be kept outside the flexible radius of his influence.) Inevitably, the effect really does a job on the thought streams of unsuspecting bystanders, and in the end: too easily makes them suspicious.

Of course, that would be exactly why Bella won't have felt this aspect of it before, either, he notes with curiosity, watching her. I wonder what her quirky train of thought could have possibly been about…?! Sigh.

Sure enough, as Mr. Ollivander initially proceeds to pick out Elder – a strange first choice for him to have made, Albus notes, considering how much he treats that wood with prudence – almost like clockwork: the satisfied tone of the wandmaker's mutterings, combined with the tentatively confident atmosphere that remains, clues the investigating headmaster in to what must have really been going on. As if a light bulb had just turned on over his head, his eyebrows raise and his head shifts to look over at Jasper… who is acting quite nonchalantly unaware of his sudden suspicion. However, when his eyes shift over to Edward, hoping for a confirmation of his theory one way or the other… Edward's lips twitch into a small smile. Fascinating!

Due to the fact the experimental wand is comprised of a human core, it requires a whole lot of persistent patience to form. A painstaking 3 ½ minutes after the bonding spell is begun, the cycle has finally completed – and beads of sweat lining Mr. Ollivander's brow indicate just how uncommon a degree of sustained focus this task has required of him.

Still, he is pleased with his work. The colorful grain lines adorning the simple 12 ½" wand seem to be indicative of a quiet beauty; an unassuming strength. It's going to need every bit of that, Garrick observes astutely… that is, if it is going to be interspecifically compatible enough to work at all. Only testing will tell us that. Obviously, it's not as durable as the others were; his fingers expertly assess. More normal in that way. But thankfully a winning combination, the wandmaker guesses. I hope it will indeed prove to be useful.

Nevertheless, when even this humble instrument ultimately ends up having a Defense Against the Dark Arts orientation – which thing Elder has never before been known to accommodate – he is dumbfounded. It's as if something about them breeds it, he realizes,and suddenly his hope for its usability desperately grows by leaps and bounds. Though it be powerless to him, such a bearing speaks exceptionally highly of the core it's made of – as well as suggests that any other wand made from it could very possibly be of the same orientation. An unprecedented trend! Usually, I'd have expected any siblings to simply be positives, rather than Defense Against the Dark Arts oriented [as is typical of the righteously defensive core]. But – since, for the first time, the most dark prone wood of Elder is sporting a Defense Against the Dark Arts orientation (!) – maybe, that won't be so difficult for the rest of them…

Patience, Garrick; patience, he reminds himself. Don't screw the experiment with your excited theories. Test them first, then celebrate later. They're only any good if they're true. Oh, but I hope they are!

And, sure enough: with the first touch of Edward's hand upon the otherwise powerless wand – it comes as alive as any other would in the hand of its chosen master. Garrick feels giddy. One theory most encouragingly down! And with a suitable core now identified for a personage of the Cullens' hybrid species: potentially a lot more reason and opportunity to continue proving the other! I'm feeling lucky today! La la laa hum humm…

If Edward could cry, that's exactly what he'd be doing right now – holding this most precious treasure of Bella's in his hand, feeling its inviting warmth wash through him. Does she have any idea what she's just done for him? Her essence has chosen him! Unquestionably above all others, when there were no strings attached. No fears, doubts, or deadlines. No limits! Never to be dissuaded; it's a done deal. Her human essence. Him! She makes him feel so special.

While Mr. Ollivander and the rest of his family continue with their wand pursuits in the background, now that the groundwork for them has been set, Edward simply stands behind his beloved, cradling her in his arms, with his cheek resting against her own, intermittently moving to kiss her ever so tenderly. He's at a loss to express enough just how cherished she's made him feel. Although, if her excitable heart rate combined with the way she responsively melts in his arms is any indication, maybe she's gotten the message. Oh I love you, Bella – more than words can ever say.

In the end, six more Bella-core wands are produced, each impossibly sporting a Defense Against the Dark Arts orientation and displaying a remarkable (even if humanly powerless) aptitude for defensive spellwork of the mental variety. However, the scope of this aptitude is not something that Mr. Ollivander is able to test; the degree of its effectiveness will simply have to be discovered by each and every individual who can make it work in the first place. Hopefully, they will share their findings with him.

To the wandmaker's additional surprise, every one of his human-core guesstimates for wood compatibility turns out to provide a perfect match for one of the Cullen family members. Dr. Carlisle Cullen's chosen wand is made of yew, 12 ½"; and given its Defense Against the Dark Arts orientation: a hero's wand, if ever I saw one. Boy, wouldn't it be really neat to know his story! His wife Esme's is Pear, and 11 ¼" long; clearly the warm-hearted type, Garrick admires of her. Blackthorn, at 11 ¾", matches to Miss Rosalie Hale… A warrior's wand? Interesting. But its defensive nature ought to make them quite an effective team as they learn to work together… while Miss Alice Cullen is chosen by a 9 ¾" Silver Lime. Hmm, the wand of a seer. Some gift of insight must be hers, then – and this wand will surely help her to develop it. The 12 ¾" Black Walnut instrument finds its home with Mr. Jasper Hale; truly the wand of an honest man! he assesses with confident approval, unwittingly causing its new owner to step back from him in pleasant shock. A swell of gratitude sensed from somewhere in the room shortly thereafter, encourages him on… as, last but not least: a 13" Spruce proves ideal for Mr. Emmett Cullen. Someone with a firm hand and a sense of humor, I take it? The wandmaker smiles. As curiously anticipated, every one of Miss Swan's stalwartly-oriented human-core wands is clearly capable of being used by any one of the Cullen family members, though none so well as the match that is their own.

A/N: In case it might be of interest, the wand-woods matched to each character herein reflect the relationship any core-donator has or would ultimately have with its wielder; information from Pottermore, via HarryPotterWiki, was a nice resource for this.

Just for kicks and grins, any theories as to what kind of hybrid Ollivander might think the Cullens are? :) Just curious.

Happy reading!