Heredity or Environment
Ch. 2: Old Friends
One hour and a wild Floo ride later, Cara and Mrs. Nevers were strolling through Diagon Alley, examining brooms, books, and bat wings through the windows of the shops. Mrs. Nevers had retrieved plenty of money from their Gringotts vault, and they were now concentrating on checking off the items on the Hogwarts supply list.
Cara's letter had arrived 2 months before, on her 11th birthday. She was vaguely suspicious of the enormous relief her parents had shown - happiness she had expected, but relief? Had they thought she wasn't magical enough to make it in to Hogwarts? That was ridiculous, and yet.. Cara dismissed such thoughts from her mind. After all, she was the oldest, and it was likely just a case of parent-jitters.
Mrs. Nevers looked over the list w/ a nostalgic smile. "Sure haven't changed this much since I was at Hogwarts," she said. "Let's get your robes first, and I'll grab your potions stuff and cauldron while you're being fitted. Then we can get a telescope and your books, and the wand last. Sound like a plan?"
"Works for me," replied Cara agreeably. The first part of the plan went quite smoothly, and so finally, laden down w/ packages (but not a cauldron, which Mrs. Nevers had sent on to the Leaky Cauldron), they found themselves at Ollivander's.
The ancient, silvery-eyed wandmaker smiled eerily when they entered. "Michelle Nevers. Beechwood, 12 inches, unicorn hair, rather springy, wasn't it?"
"Yes sir," replied Mrs. Nevers, "and a very nice wand it is yet."
Ollivander nodded. "Yes, yes. And this - this is Caralyn -" he stopped short and glanced at Mrs. Nevers. "-Carlyn Nevers, of course." He regarded her silently for a long moment, and Cara shifted rather uncomfortably under his silvery gaze.
"Yes, yes.. Hmmm. Wand arm, please?" Ollivander set a tape measure to measuring her while he searched his crowded shelves. "Try this, holly and phoenix feather, 8 and a half inches." He handed her a wand and almost immediately snatched it back. "No, no, that won't do. Here, mahogany and unicorn hair, 10 inches, quite stiff. Try it, go on." This too was immediately rejected. "No, no. Willow and phoenix feather, 12 and a half inches, whippy. Go on, go on, -- No, no, that won't do, let's see here. Aha!" he exclaimed, pulling a box from the shelf. "Try this. Maple and dragon heartstring, 11 and three-quarter inches, pliable. Go on."
Cara took the wand and immediately felt a warm tingling spread up her arm. She flicked it and a shower of gold and green sparks burst from the end of it.
"Perfect! Oh, brava! Very good, yes indeed. Well, well.." He took the wand and boxed it, accepting the 7 Galleons payment from Mrs. Nevers.
As Cara took the box, he gave her one last piercing stare. His eyes flicked to Mrs. Nevers and back. "Hmmm, yes indeed. Well, so long, Miss. Nevers. Good fortune."
Cara left the shop with a feeling of unease, seemingly situated right between her shoulder-blades. Why was everyone around her acting so strange? It was so odd.. But before she had time to dwell on the strange behavior of the wandmaker, she was startled out of her reverie by an exclamation.
"Michelle! Caralee! What a surprise!"
They turned to see a short brunette, stylishly dressed and laden with packages, hurrying towards them.
"Why, Lavender, we haven't seen you in ages! How is the family?" cried Mrs. Nevers. It was Mrs. Nevers old school friend Lavender Boot and her daughter Lilac, who was entering her second year at Hogwarts.
The four of them had a very enjoyable luncheon at the Leaky Cauldron, chatting about the adults' days at school, Lilac's adventures of the past year, what Cara could expect, and, naturally, gossiping about all their shared friends and acquaintances.
Cara was not quite as interested in Lilac's endless tales of her romantic conquests as she pretended to be, and so she heard quite clearly Mrs. Boot's mention of "Harry Potter." The renowned name of the famous wizard was enough to make anyone perk up, and of course, her mother and Mrs. Boot had known him at school.
"So have you heard anything about what Harry Potter has been up to lately?" asked Mrs. Boot.
"No, we haven't heard from him since we got out of school, really, and he hasn't been in the news much lately, has he?"
"No, he hasn't, it's rather odd, isn't it? I remember him from Hogwarts, all the scrapes he and Hermione Granger and that Weasley boy used to get into. He was very untidy, no fashion sense at all, but so brave! Of course, he was famous even then but he seemed just another one of the boys."
"If you totally ignore the fact that all of his 'scrapes' involved You-Know-Who, maybe!" laughed Mrs. Nevers in reply.
"Which is one reason it's strange to have heard nothing of him lately. Do you know if he ever remarried? Settled down? Of course, it was such a tragedy, the death of his wife and his girls coming all at once like that, but it's been 10 years, you'd think he might have found somebody."
"So far as I know he's still wand'ring around in a bit of a funk," said Mrs. Nevers. "I hear from Hermione occasionally, but either she doesn't keep in touch w/ him or she just never mentions him in her letters, I don't know."
"And how is she doing? And Ron? And the kids?" asked Mrs. Boot. They went back to boring gossip and Cara returned to Lilac's blathering. Such a tragedy..
One hour and a wild Floo ride later, Cara and Mrs. Nevers were strolling through Diagon Alley, examining brooms, books, and bat wings through the windows of the shops. Mrs. Nevers had retrieved plenty of money from their Gringotts vault, and they were now concentrating on checking off the items on the Hogwarts supply list.
Cara's letter had arrived 2 months before, on her 11th birthday. She was vaguely suspicious of the enormous relief her parents had shown - happiness she had expected, but relief? Had they thought she wasn't magical enough to make it in to Hogwarts? That was ridiculous, and yet.. Cara dismissed such thoughts from her mind. After all, she was the oldest, and it was likely just a case of parent-jitters.
Mrs. Nevers looked over the list w/ a nostalgic smile. "Sure haven't changed this much since I was at Hogwarts," she said. "Let's get your robes first, and I'll grab your potions stuff and cauldron while you're being fitted. Then we can get a telescope and your books, and the wand last. Sound like a plan?"
"Works for me," replied Cara agreeably. The first part of the plan went quite smoothly, and so finally, laden down w/ packages (but not a cauldron, which Mrs. Nevers had sent on to the Leaky Cauldron), they found themselves at Ollivander's.
The ancient, silvery-eyed wandmaker smiled eerily when they entered. "Michelle Nevers. Beechwood, 12 inches, unicorn hair, rather springy, wasn't it?"
"Yes sir," replied Mrs. Nevers, "and a very nice wand it is yet."
Ollivander nodded. "Yes, yes. And this - this is Caralyn -" he stopped short and glanced at Mrs. Nevers. "-Carlyn Nevers, of course." He regarded her silently for a long moment, and Cara shifted rather uncomfortably under his silvery gaze.
"Yes, yes.. Hmmm. Wand arm, please?" Ollivander set a tape measure to measuring her while he searched his crowded shelves. "Try this, holly and phoenix feather, 8 and a half inches." He handed her a wand and almost immediately snatched it back. "No, no, that won't do. Here, mahogany and unicorn hair, 10 inches, quite stiff. Try it, go on." This too was immediately rejected. "No, no. Willow and phoenix feather, 12 and a half inches, whippy. Go on, go on, -- No, no, that won't do, let's see here. Aha!" he exclaimed, pulling a box from the shelf. "Try this. Maple and dragon heartstring, 11 and three-quarter inches, pliable. Go on."
Cara took the wand and immediately felt a warm tingling spread up her arm. She flicked it and a shower of gold and green sparks burst from the end of it.
"Perfect! Oh, brava! Very good, yes indeed. Well, well.." He took the wand and boxed it, accepting the 7 Galleons payment from Mrs. Nevers.
As Cara took the box, he gave her one last piercing stare. His eyes flicked to Mrs. Nevers and back. "Hmmm, yes indeed. Well, so long, Miss. Nevers. Good fortune."
Cara left the shop with a feeling of unease, seemingly situated right between her shoulder-blades. Why was everyone around her acting so strange? It was so odd.. But before she had time to dwell on the strange behavior of the wandmaker, she was startled out of her reverie by an exclamation.
"Michelle! Caralee! What a surprise!"
They turned to see a short brunette, stylishly dressed and laden with packages, hurrying towards them.
"Why, Lavender, we haven't seen you in ages! How is the family?" cried Mrs. Nevers. It was Mrs. Nevers old school friend Lavender Boot and her daughter Lilac, who was entering her second year at Hogwarts.
The four of them had a very enjoyable luncheon at the Leaky Cauldron, chatting about the adults' days at school, Lilac's adventures of the past year, what Cara could expect, and, naturally, gossiping about all their shared friends and acquaintances.
Cara was not quite as interested in Lilac's endless tales of her romantic conquests as she pretended to be, and so she heard quite clearly Mrs. Boot's mention of "Harry Potter." The renowned name of the famous wizard was enough to make anyone perk up, and of course, her mother and Mrs. Boot had known him at school.
"So have you heard anything about what Harry Potter has been up to lately?" asked Mrs. Boot.
"No, we haven't heard from him since we got out of school, really, and he hasn't been in the news much lately, has he?"
"No, he hasn't, it's rather odd, isn't it? I remember him from Hogwarts, all the scrapes he and Hermione Granger and that Weasley boy used to get into. He was very untidy, no fashion sense at all, but so brave! Of course, he was famous even then but he seemed just another one of the boys."
"If you totally ignore the fact that all of his 'scrapes' involved You-Know-Who, maybe!" laughed Mrs. Nevers in reply.
"Which is one reason it's strange to have heard nothing of him lately. Do you know if he ever remarried? Settled down? Of course, it was such a tragedy, the death of his wife and his girls coming all at once like that, but it's been 10 years, you'd think he might have found somebody."
"So far as I know he's still wand'ring around in a bit of a funk," said Mrs. Nevers. "I hear from Hermione occasionally, but either she doesn't keep in touch w/ him or she just never mentions him in her letters, I don't know."
"And how is she doing? And Ron? And the kids?" asked Mrs. Boot. They went back to boring gossip and Cara returned to Lilac's blathering. Such a tragedy..