I was going to make this longer, but then I realized that I haven't updated in around three weeks. So here you all go. It's might be a little patchy, but hopefully it should satisfy you all. The first bit may be kinda boring, but if you're like me, you may feel the need to check out what all the different wand parts mean/symbolize on the Harry Potter Wikia.
Seriously, summer work should be banned. AP summer work is killing me! Why do I have to be smart? Gah…so much stuff to do in about two weeks…save me!
Forgot to mention- someone suggested that Sasori call Draco 'prat' in a review. I was too tired to look it up when I last posted…sorry. Freedom its2l8 gets credit for that.
Yahiko didn't know about his two best friends, but he was actually having a pretty good time at this school. He agreed with Kakuzu and Sasori- this school wasn't quite up to par with the sort of training students received back at home (it definitely wasn't anything like the training Jiraiya had put him and his friends through)- but it was still cool. After all, there was no need for memorizing seals if you had a wand and said the right words with the right motion and intent.
Now that the librarian had told the head of Ravenclaw (Professor Twit-whip or something like that- the Charms teacher) that one of his students had fallen victim to bullying and had had no wand to defend himself, the eleven 'orphans' had been summoned over the weekend to Diagon Alley to make a stop at some place called Ollivander's. Yahiko didn't know why they hadn't been taken here right away after someone (Konan, maybe?) mentioned that they didn't have wands, but he figured that the civilians here were oblivious or incredibly disorganized. Glancing around at his loyal followers, he wondered if the civilians were the only ones.
The giant man who was escorting them, Hagrid, was a huge man that Tobi had taken one look at and fled. It had taken Itachi and Zetsu a good five minutes to catch him and get him under control. Hidan and Deidara's laughter and encouragement of Tobi's antics didn't help at all.
When Hagrid finally managed to herd the group of somewhat unruly eleven year olds to the brick wall that led to Diagon Alley, Sasori, Kakuzu, and Itachi immediately began asking their escort questions regarding the wall – if it was an illusion or actually there, how effective it was if one didn't know which brick to tap, and other things. Hagrid just tapped the brick and moved them along. Yahiko didn't miss Kakuzu's mutter of, "He probably doesn't know."
Hagrid led the group directly to Ollivander's, despite the eleven ninjas' curiosity and questions about Diagon Alley and what kind of spells could create such a warp in space. When Tobi saw Ollivander and his 'creepy eyes', he almost managed to get away, but the discreet use of chakra strings held him.
"I got ter warn ya, sir," Hagrid said to Ollivander, "Some of 'em are sorter rowdy."
Nagato leaned over to Yahiko. "Perhaps now would be a good time use your authority as leader," he suggested.
"You know, we should, like, switch houses or something," Yahiko said. "You're better at the whole power thing than I am. I'm just the fearless leader."
"Just do it," Nagato said. "Otherwise they'll make fools out of themselves and us."
"You have a point," Yahiko said. Turning to his supposed subordinates, he said, "Listen, you lot, you'd better behave yourselves. Deidara, Hidan, Tobi, I'm looking at you three in particular because you've got a knack for being destructive and getting yourselves into trouble. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Leader, sir," was the collective answer.
"Wow. That worked well," Yahiko said, turning to Hagrid. "Shoulda thought of that earlier! Well, better late than never. So, who's first?"
"Ladies first never fails," Nagato said, nodding to Konan. Konan nodded and stepped forward.
"So, miss, one of the eleven orphans that showed up on Hogwarts' doorstep this year?" Konan nodded. "Which arm is your wand arm?" he asked.
"We're all ambidextrous, sir," Konan said.
Ollivander blinked. "Of course. Which arm do you prefer, then?" he asked. Konan thought a moment before holding out her right hand. Ollivander nodded and flicked his wand. A measuring tape floated up to take Konan's measurements while Ollivander himself picked out wand boxes and brought them out. A few minutes later, he handed her a wand. "Try this," he said. "Walnut with unicorn hair, ten and a half inches, supple."
Konan had barely flicked it before Ollivander snatched it away. "No, no, no. Hm...how about this? Laurel with kelpie mane, ten inches, springy."
Konan swished it and blew up a potted plant. While Zetsu went to tend it, Ollivander shook his head. "No, definitely not that one. Try this. Alder with unicorn hair, nine inches, flexible."
Konan waved it and the potted plant that Zetsu was conversing with himself over fixed itself and sprouted roses in the process. "Ah ha! Third time's the charm," Ollivander said, nodding. "Hagrid, I'll tell you the amount when we're all through. I assume that since these children are orphans, they have no personal funds. Who's next."
"Tobi will go next! Tobi is a good boy!" Tobi cheered.
"Alright," Ollivander said. "And which arm does Tobi prefer?" Tobi held out his left arm and the measuring tape got to work. Ollivander disappeared into his shelves and shelves of boxes. When he reappeared, he handed Tobi a wand. "Dogwood with dragon heart string. Nine and a half inches, supple."
Tobi waved it dramatically, causing several items in the shop to blow up. "Wah! Tobi is sorry!" he yelped. "Tobi did not mean to-"
Itachi placed his hand on Tobi's shoulder. "Calm down. It's ok." Tobi whimpered slightly as he handed Ollivander the wand.
"Don't worry, Tobi," Ollivander said. "It happens all the time. That wand's just not meant for you. It's ok, I can fix it. Watch." Ollivander waved his wand. "Reparo," he said. Everything that Tobi had broken fixed itself.
Tobi's un-patched eye widened. "Whoa...Tobi will learn how to do that!"
"Tobi needs a wand first," Ollivander said. "Here. Sycamore with unicorn hair. Ten and a half inches and flexible. Don't wave it so wildly this time."
Tobi hesitantly flicked it. Immediately, orange sparks flew out of it. "Oooooh...did Tobi do it right?" he asked.
Ollivander nodded. "An easy customer," he said. "Good. Alright, who's next?"
"Tobi says that cousin Itachi is next," Tobi said cheerfully, pushing the other Uchiha forward.
"And which is your wand arm?" Ollivander asked. Itachi held out his right arm. "Good. Take this- cedar with dragon heart string, nine and a half inches, springy." Itachi waved it and promptly blew up the stool Hidan was sitting on.
Several swears from Hidan, a couple more explosions, and ten wands later, Ollivander handed Itachi his twelfth wand. "Oh, I do enjoy a tricky customer," he said. "Here. Cypress with phoenix feather. Eleven inches, supple." The moment Itachi held it, fire erupted from the tip, forming a merrily burning fireball that hovered over it.
"I think this is the one," Itachi declared. Ollivander examined it and the fireball that didn't seem to burn anything for a moment before giving his approval.
Kisame volunteered to go next and proved to be a relatively easy customer- it took him only five tries to get his flexible, nine-and-a-half-inch spruce with unicorn hair wand. Kakuzu and Sasori followed, also not taking very long. They ended up with a stiff, ten-inch beech with dragon heart string and a brittle, nine-and-a-half-inch pine with unicorn hair respectively. Zetsu proved to be slightly more difficult, but ended up with stiff, nine-inch hawthorn with unicorn hair wand. When Ollivander approved of his wand, he commented, "I sold one very similar to this about five years ago. Tell me, which house are you?"
"We are Slytherin," Zetsu said.
"I see," Ollivander said. "How curious, how curious indeed. Who's next?"
Deidara and Hidan took slightly longer. Each blew up his fair share of items in Ollivander's shop. Konan and Itachi, after watching Ollivander repair his unfortunate shop a few times, figured out the spell and motions and started repairing things so that the wand maker wouldn't have to be distracted from his work. Eventually, Deidara took a supple twelve-inch aspen with dragon heart string wand and Hidan took a supple eleven-and-a-half-inch wand of blackthorn with dragon heart string.
Yahiko and Nagato were the last to go. Yahiko found a wand relatively quickly, taking only seven tries to end up with a supple twelve-inch wand made of cherry and dragon heart string. However, Nagato took twice as long as Itachi, and ended up with a nine inch, brittle wand of acacia and phoenix feather on his twenty-second try.
After having taken up Ollivander and Hagrid's whole afternoon wand-shopping, the group headed back to Hogwarts. They all met up on the roof to debrief before going to catch up on all the wand work that they'd missed.
"Ok, so you all were generally well-behaved out there," Yahiko said approvingly. "However, Hidan, you've gotta put a check on that mouth of yours. Eleven year olds with filthy mouths attract attention."
"So f- what?" Hidan asked.
"So you'd better figure out a way to control yourself," Yahiko said. "Or else I will allow Kakuzu to put whatever wand technique he figures out on you in order to make you shut up." Hidan's eyes narrowed as he muttered presumably very rude things under his breath, but he didn't say anything out loud.
"What are your orders, Leader, sir?" Kisame asked.
"Figure out as many wand techniques as you can," Yahiko said. "Don't cause trouble. Tobi, stick with Itachi. Itachi, keep Tobi away from that janitor and his cat. And Zetsu, continue spying. How's that coming along, by the way?"
"The professor has kept the same schedule for the last three weeks," Zetsu said. "It is probably safe to assume that she will not change it."
"Ok. Then inform the leaders of that pranking group you're aiding," Yahiko said. "Um…I think that's all for now. Don't kill anyone yet."
l l l
The next day in Potions, while Professor Snape snapped at some unfortunate Gryffindor first year, Zetsu (who was surprisingly good at all things Potions and Herbology) was helping his fellow ninjas when another Slytherin boy poked him.
"Hey!" the boy hissed. "Don't help those stupid Gryffindors. They're our enemies."
Zetsu blinked. "There are no enemies among comrades," he said.
"The Gryffindors aren't our friends," the Slytherin boy said.
"They are part of this place," Zetsu said. "They may not be friends, but they are co-workers."
"Sticking up for us, un?" Deidara asked as Zetsu smacked his hand to keep him from putting fluxweed instead of nettles in his cauldron.
"That one does not understand the meaning of working with idiots he hates," Zetsu said. "Don't put that in, you idiot! You'll draw attention to yourself."
"Everything alright over there?" Yahiko asked Zetsu.
"That one is an annoying moron," Zetsu said, pointing at the offending Slytherin student. "Can I eat him? No, Leader doesn't want us to eat people here. But he's too stupid to understand the concept of teamwork."
Kisame leaned over to Zetsu. "Which is which?" he asked, holding out two similar-looking plants.
"Figure it out yourself, idiot," Zetsu said as his white arm pointed to the ingredient that had to be put in first.
"Thanks," Kisame said, grinning toothily at his split-personality comrade.
"Enough chatter," Professor Snape snapped. "Five points from Gryffindor for being distracting."
This brought snickers from most of the Slytherin students. However, Zetsu frowned. "Professor, do you like your classroom the way it is?" he asked.
"Very much, and it'll stay that way if distracted students don't brew incorrect potions," the professor said.
"Kisame would have blown up his cauldron if the idiot hadn't asked me which stupid leaf to put in. Leaves aren't stupid! They make these lovely brews. Shut up. I'm defending our case. This man is clearly half blind if he can't see the faults of his own students. He's the professor and L- Yahiko said we shouldn't attract attention. If you don't shut up, we'll attract even more attention," Zetsu snapped at himself.
Professor Snape seemed slightly miffed at a student from his own House talking against him, but appeared to owe it to the fact that the Zetsu had clear mental issues, with his double personality. Zetsu was glad because Leader was giving him a look. On the way from Potions to Transfiguration, Yahiko pulled him aside.
"What happened to laying low?" he asked.
"It's not my fault that our Head of House is an absolute moron with a serious bias against Gryffindor," Zetsu said. "Don't talk back to Leader! Must you be an idiot? I'm explaining."
"Look," said Yahiko. "I don't care if Snape's a biased idiot. All I care about is staying under the radar for a while. All I'm asking is that you don't make a fuss. Even Hidan managed to get through the class without loudly swearing to Jashin or whatever. Try to keep it down."
"Yes, Leader-sama," Zetsu said, his white side flushing slightly pink. Normally he was never the one getting scolded- that was usually Tobi, Hidan, and Deidara. He was Leader's most faithful and loyal servant besides Konan. Why had he suddenly developed a sense of…morality, was it? Or maybe justice. Whatever it was, it was hindering his functioning as a loyal subordinate to Leader. It had to go.
Hm. I've got no idea where to go after this. Should I work out the prank on Umbridge, or should I focus on the whole Draco v. Sasori thing? Or has anybody else got any ideas? Leave me a review and tell me what you think! Oh, and apologies in advance if the next chapter takes a while to come out. Is vacation seriously almost over? No! Where'd it go? Anyway, have a good rest of the summer if I don't post before everybody goes back…to…school…