29-Wandmaker

Angie also joined the last meeting of that summer, held at Longbottom pool. She had a lot to tell and the younger children were interested to hear her story.

"I was visited by an old stern woman who said she was Professor McGonagall, the deputy to headmaster Dumbledore at Hogwarts. She kept telling us how good a school that was, so I asked if they had literature, art, or science lessons. She had to admit they didn't have any. That made my parents quite sceptical about her claim that it was the best school in Europe. They practically made her promise to introduce such lessons next year, since it's too late to do it for the coming term."

Angie smiled as if this was a great joke, before going on with her tale. "We met her the next afternoon in London, and she took us all to Diagon Alley. She first led us to Ollivander's wand shop. When he looked at me he seemed quite confused but said nothing. I then had to try about half the wands in the store until he found one that seemed appropriate, and quite a few more until he decided which one was the best fit. It really felt quite nice to hold it, but I didn't feel like it really fitted me."

She took her wand out of her pocket and waved it a bit, producing some sparks. She then put it back and waved her hand, producing a cascade of sparks. "See what I mean?"

She didn't wait for an answer. "We then shopped for potions ingredients and a cauldron and then books and robes and finally she recommended that I buy an owl to stay in contact with my family, so I asked her why there was no public phone at school. She just grimaced and said it couldn't work there." She chuckled. "We all have even more complex instruments at home and they all work fine even when we use some magic. I think that's just an excuse to not use anything they don't understand."

She then turned more serious. "I don't want to give up my regular education. I asked my parents to buy me the books I would need for school if I continued my regular education. I intend to study them just as diligently. I told my classmates I was going to a boarding school that has some different curriculum and to save the homework assignments for me, so I could do it all when I visit on vacations. They thought I was too serious but agreed to do it."

Hermione nodded as if considering it the best way to act. Harry couldn't refrain from chuckling softly. Hermione was so predictable when it came to learning. This still got him a reprimanding look from her.

The children spent some of that last meeting checking Angie's mind shields, finding them satisfactory. They were all aware of the secrecy needed for their club and took it very seriously. Once reassured of that, they all enjoyed the pool some more.

\/\/\/

Dylan invited both Astoria and Denis to join the club. Evidently, their siblings already expected it and started teaching the younger children as much as they could, without teaching them anything really secret. Hannah also asked for her younger brother Edward to join the club. Since he was the same age as Astoria and Denis, Dylan accepted him. After a lot of deliberations, he reached the conclusion not to invite children from families that weren't already in the know. It was just too dangerous to let some of this knowledge spread.

In a way, Dylan was thankful for having new members in the club. It gave the others a lot of occupation for a few meetings, letting him refine his plans. Harry also found these meetings relaxing. With quite a few children teaching the newcomers, he could give some more time to his drawings. Actually, he even started attending an afternoon class for painting and was finding it very interesting.

They also had a nice surprise during that first meeting. Angie shifted in, wearing her school robes, ready and anxious to share her experience with her friends. "The castle is really fantastic, especially when I first saw it. I was in a boat on the lake and the castle was lighted. It was like a fairy tale, really. Then, the sorting and the feast were nice. We were then led to the dorms where I share a room with four more girls. They seem to be quite nice,"

"And how are the lessons?" Hermione asked.

Angie grimaced. "Not very interesting. Charms and Transfiguration are alright, I guess, although we already know all they teach there. It's weird doing it with a wand, though, and a bit more difficult. I still try to hold back, or I'll be the first to do each spell. Potions is horrible. You can't learn anything from the teacher and he hates the students, especially those in Gryffindor, where I am now. We didn't have DADA yet. The professor slipped and fell on the stairs after the welcome feast. He's still recuperating. History is taught by a ghost. It could be cool if he wasn't so boring. Nobody can stay awake in that lesson. What else? Oh, Herbology is nice. I'm sure Neville will like it. We only have astronomy tomorrow, so I don't know how it is."

"And that's all?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"It looks like they think it's almost too much. Most of the kids from magical families have never gone to school, so this is quite difficult for them. They also can't visit their families at will. I shift home each night to let my parent see me and kiss me goodnight." She blushed a bit when saying this.

"How can you do it with nobody noticing?" Harry asked.

Angie smiled. "We each have a four-poster bed with drapes for privacy. I close the drapes and re-enforce them the way we learned here. I also cast a notice-me-not on the bed and I then shift home. Nobody notices."

"Did you get any new friends?" Susan asked.

Angie seemed to hesitate. "It's too early to know. There's a girl in my dorm, Alicia, who seems quite nice. There are twin boys, Fred and George Weasley, whom nobody can tell apart, who also seem quite funny and friendly. We may become friends, eventually."

"You'll become more than friends," Luna told her, "but it may take time."

"That's nice to know, Luna." Angie looked at her watch. "I'd rather not stay any longer, or my dorm mates may turn suspicious. Bye!"

Dylan found himself explaining about the four houses, what each stood for and the unhealthy relations between them. The children liked his stories but seemed to get a very unfavourable impression of the way the school was run. He sighed internally, fully agreeing with them.

\/\/\/

Harry, Dudley, Neville and Daphne were becoming a very close group of friends. Lora was no longer their teacher, but she was well informed and she passed the information to Dylan. "These four are the most popular children in their class and the best overall students. They seem to share the first place, with each having slightly different talents, leaving the other students far behind, yet they're very helpful, using their abilities to help others."

"Even Daphne?" he wondered.

"She helps mainly girls, although some boys seem affected by her beauty, making it easier for her to help them. She seems to like helping." Dylan thought that this was a big change for the girl who was previously quite self-centred.

\/\/\/

Petunia continued her regular Sunday visits at the church with the two boys. Although that summer was quite warm, she continued wearing long sleeves. Eventually, Dylan stopped her one September weekend and asked, "Why are you still keeping wearing these conservative clothes? I already know you're not so conservative."

She smiled consciously. "I dare not expose my scars. The gossip would turn unbearable."

He gave it a thought. "Would you like to get rid of them? I could help you just as I helped Harry?"

She frowned. "I thought that your healers don't treat muggles."

He shook his head. This was one of those things he loathed about the magical world. "Human healers don't. It's partly due to secrecy and more due to bigotry. The goblins are not subject to either and their prices are much lower."

She looked pleadingly at him. "Can you really help me with that? I'd like it."

He smiled. "I'll see when I can set an appointment for you. Since you raise two magical children, it should be no problem."

She smiled thankfully. "I also thought you would like to know that I've finished my secretarial course and am now working part-time at a law firm nearby."

Indeed, since her divorce, Petunia looked more confident and lost most of her sourness. Being able to earn money on her own had probably contributed as well.

That Wednesday, Dylan took Petunia to Gringotts. A salve, some potions and a few muttered spells removed all her scars and also made her look younger. Two hours later, when he accompanied her back home, she was smiling broadly. Dylan hoped that nobody would misinterpret that smile.

\/\/\/

By November, Dylan thought it was time to start with the wand lore. He had the books, that Harry was quick to make duplicates of for all the participants. He spent the first meeting on the subject with anecdotes and legends about wands and some about staffs. He mentioned the wood, the core or cores, the finish and how each combination was unique. He also told them Ollivander's saying that "The wand chooses the wizard" or the witch, as the case may be.

Harry already had a problem with that. "If each combination is unique and each person is unique, how can he find the right wand for each person? It just doesn't make sense. I'd say he finds the best match within his own collection. There might be a better match somewhere else, or there may not yet be a wand that's a true match."

Dylan had never thought of that. "Well, I suppose he really looks for the best match he can give, not the absolute best," he admitted.

\/\/\/

At the next meeting, the children discussed the information in the books. They all seemed to come to a common conclusion: these books were more legend than practical information. Based on Dylan's stories and on the books, they assumed that each wand-maker had his own secret procedures and was unwilling to share.

"How many wand-makers are in Britain?" Hermione asked.

Dylan wasn't quite sure. "I only know for sure of one – Ollivander. Every wand in my family was bought there, and so did most of the other families. Some buy wands abroad. I also heard a rumour there's another wandmaker in Britain, at a side street of Diagon Alley. I'm not even sure it's true."

"Can you check? It would be nice to know if he works the same way as Ollivander or has different methods. If so, it may be very educational," Hermione suggested.

Dylan could never explain how, when teaching these children, he was the one ending with homework.

\/\/\/

The next day he visited Knockturn Alley and found, after some unpleasant searches, the wandmaker's shop. It looked nothing like Ollivander's. It was spacious and had no ready wands in store. "I only make custom wands, not the cheap mass-produced wands others make. The price is also much steeper," the gruff man at the counter told him.

"How much does it cost and how long does it take?" Dylan asked.

"The price depends on what is found to be right for the customer, and that also affects the time. It starts at seventy Galleons and three hours and can reach much higher."

This was a steep price, more than ten times the price at Ollivander's. Yet Dylan's curiosity was piqued. His Greengrass monthly allowance was large enough to afford such a wand. He'd also heard about people losing their wands under dire circumstances, sometimes paying with their lives for the loss. While that was during the war, he knew that some thought the war was not really over. Better be prepared.

"Alright, how do we proceed?" he asked.

"You pay ten Galleons upfront to cover my time when choosing the materials. Once the materials are chosen, I can calculate the total cost. You pay half when ordering and the rest when you come to take it. Cash only."

Dylan had to remind himself that this was Knockturn Alley, where any paper trail was frowned at. He put his hand in his robe pocket and took out ten gold coins. "Alright, let's start."

It was, as Hermione had expected, a very educational experience. Just finding the right base material took more than an hour and none was the same as in his original wand. He was actually found to fit a two-core wand with a ruby tip. Even the best length for his wand was found to be much shorter than the one he still had. "This combination is typical for Wizards who are moderately above average, power-wise. It will be a hundred Galleons. Come tomorrow to pick it."

Dylan paid forty more gold coins. He didn't expect a receipt and didn't get one.

The next morning, when he came for the wand, it was ready. It was stored in a nice wooden box that also included a wand holster, a polishing cloth and a small bottle of polishing liquid. "Check your wand. I don't accept returns," the wand-maker told him.

As soon as he touched the wand, Dylan knew that it was a perfect fit. It almost hummed with pleasure in his hand. He cast "Lumos" and it lighted much brighter than his original wand. He realized that the wand was certainly worth its price. On his way back home, he wondered if he shouldn't take Lora there for a custom wand. On second thought, though, she didn't need a wand. Her casting was powerful and precise using no wand and no incantation, the way she'd learned at the club. While Dylan could also do most of this, he still felt more comfortable using a wand.