Lily and I proceeded down the street. "So, you passed out on the
sidewalk, and he just picks you up and takes you to the park?" Lily
exclaimed, she was getting a bit hysterical. I nodded. I wanted to add,
"The day that Daddy died." But she seemed not to have that on her mind.
"That is so romantic!" she cried, getting all mushy.
"Lily, it's not 'romantic'! He might have gorgeously deep blue eyes...but nothing was romantic!"
"Did you like pass out into his arms or something?" she said, wanting all the details.
"No, Lily!" she was starting to annoy me by now, "He wasn't even there when I passed out!! He's our neighbor for goodness sake!!"
"Yes, our very cute neighbor!"
"Lily, just drop it okay?" I pictured the boy with the glasses, James, staring at Lily, "Oh, well, what about that James bloke? He seemed to think you were very interesting." Lily blushed.
"He looked like a jerk. One of those pompous, cocky, jocks."
"Lily, pompous and cocky is the same thing."
"Shut up!" she cried and lightly punched me in the arm, "Okay, how about we both drop those boys?"
"I knew you'd give in." I said smiling.
We stopped in front of an old shop with a faded purple cushion in the big display window. On it was a long, worn, torn up stick of wood. The big sign over the door said:
"Ollivanders: Maker of Find Wands Since 382 B.C."
"382 B.C.? That was a long time ago."
"Yeah it was, nearly 1,380 years ago." Lily was always good at math. She was only eleven, and could solve almost any math problem in less than 5 seconds. I was always better in science. I especially liked studying space and the stars. Math was my downfall.
"So," I said, "Do you want to go in?" The place looked a bit creepy.
"Sure," she said, and pulled open the door. A tiny, rusted, little bell gave a feeble ring and then started coughing. It startled me, but then I remember that I was in a place full of magic.
"Lily! Mum didn't give us any money!" I whispered, I suddenly felt I had to be quiet.
"She slipped me these before we left." She put her hand in her pocket and drew out a large handful of bronze, silver, and gold coins. We both heard the sound of wheels rolling on wood and looked over to see a man sliding toward us on one of those rolling ladders. "Good morning ladies!" He said in an eerie, scratchy, creepy voice. He had wiry gray hair that stuck out at every angle, his eyes were silver and the pupils were shaped like moons.
"Good morning, sir." I said, still a little freaked out.
"You've come here for a wand, have you not?"
"If that's what you sell here, that's what the sign says."
"Yes, yes, indeed!" The man looked up towards the ceiling where shelves were still covered with long boxes. He reached up and grabbed a shabby, worn, scarlet box and pulled it down. Then he scurried down the stairs and ran to the front counter. "You," he said pointing to me, "Laurel, come here." Lily and I exchanged looks, how did this guy know my name? I walked slowly toward him, and he opened the box's lid. A beautiful, shiny, dark piece of wood sat among the tissue papers. It was almost red. It had a curved handle with a beautiful swirled pattern.
"Pick it up!" the man cried, I jumped, "Give it a wave!" I picked the wand up, and I felt a warm sensation go through my fingers and it flowed into my arms and to the rest of me. I flourished it and waved it and a flow of sparkly silver sparks protruded from the tip.
"Oh, nice match! Mahogany, Unicorn Tail Hair, 13 and a half inches." cried the man, who I figured his name was Mr.Ollivander. He snatched the wand from my hand and put it back in the box. "14 sickles and 3 knuts.
"Lily hand me some of that money." I said. She stuck her hand in her packet and pulled it out and laid it in my hand.
"Okay," I asked Mr.Ollivander, "Which one is which?" He pointed to the silver coins.
"Those are sickles." I picked out fourteen of the medium sized silver ones. "Those are knuts." He said, pointing to the little bronze ones. I picked out three. "And those are Galleons." He said pointing to the big gold ones. I handed him the coins I picked out and it was Lily's turn.
She stepped up and Mr. Ollivander pulled down a box. She waved the wand, nothing. He picked out another, nothing. We sat there for about twenty minutes. Lily waved what must have been the thirtieth wand. A beam of swirling rainbow colored ligt filled the room, and nearly blinded me. The beam dwindled away.
"Nice choice, Ms. Evans!" Mr. Ollivander cried. "10 and a quarter inches long, Pheonix Feather, Willow. Good for Charm work. 13 sickles and 5 knuts." I helped Lily sort out the coins, and she handed them to him. We said thank you, and left the shop. The little bell coughed.
"That is so romantic!" she cried, getting all mushy.
"Lily, it's not 'romantic'! He might have gorgeously deep blue eyes...but nothing was romantic!"
"Did you like pass out into his arms or something?" she said, wanting all the details.
"No, Lily!" she was starting to annoy me by now, "He wasn't even there when I passed out!! He's our neighbor for goodness sake!!"
"Yes, our very cute neighbor!"
"Lily, just drop it okay?" I pictured the boy with the glasses, James, staring at Lily, "Oh, well, what about that James bloke? He seemed to think you were very interesting." Lily blushed.
"He looked like a jerk. One of those pompous, cocky, jocks."
"Lily, pompous and cocky is the same thing."
"Shut up!" she cried and lightly punched me in the arm, "Okay, how about we both drop those boys?"
"I knew you'd give in." I said smiling.
We stopped in front of an old shop with a faded purple cushion in the big display window. On it was a long, worn, torn up stick of wood. The big sign over the door said:
"Ollivanders: Maker of Find Wands Since 382 B.C."
"382 B.C.? That was a long time ago."
"Yeah it was, nearly 1,380 years ago." Lily was always good at math. She was only eleven, and could solve almost any math problem in less than 5 seconds. I was always better in science. I especially liked studying space and the stars. Math was my downfall.
"So," I said, "Do you want to go in?" The place looked a bit creepy.
"Sure," she said, and pulled open the door. A tiny, rusted, little bell gave a feeble ring and then started coughing. It startled me, but then I remember that I was in a place full of magic.
"Lily! Mum didn't give us any money!" I whispered, I suddenly felt I had to be quiet.
"She slipped me these before we left." She put her hand in her pocket and drew out a large handful of bronze, silver, and gold coins. We both heard the sound of wheels rolling on wood and looked over to see a man sliding toward us on one of those rolling ladders. "Good morning ladies!" He said in an eerie, scratchy, creepy voice. He had wiry gray hair that stuck out at every angle, his eyes were silver and the pupils were shaped like moons.
"Good morning, sir." I said, still a little freaked out.
"You've come here for a wand, have you not?"
"If that's what you sell here, that's what the sign says."
"Yes, yes, indeed!" The man looked up towards the ceiling where shelves were still covered with long boxes. He reached up and grabbed a shabby, worn, scarlet box and pulled it down. Then he scurried down the stairs and ran to the front counter. "You," he said pointing to me, "Laurel, come here." Lily and I exchanged looks, how did this guy know my name? I walked slowly toward him, and he opened the box's lid. A beautiful, shiny, dark piece of wood sat among the tissue papers. It was almost red. It had a curved handle with a beautiful swirled pattern.
"Pick it up!" the man cried, I jumped, "Give it a wave!" I picked the wand up, and I felt a warm sensation go through my fingers and it flowed into my arms and to the rest of me. I flourished it and waved it and a flow of sparkly silver sparks protruded from the tip.
"Oh, nice match! Mahogany, Unicorn Tail Hair, 13 and a half inches." cried the man, who I figured his name was Mr.Ollivander. He snatched the wand from my hand and put it back in the box. "14 sickles and 3 knuts.
"Lily hand me some of that money." I said. She stuck her hand in her packet and pulled it out and laid it in my hand.
"Okay," I asked Mr.Ollivander, "Which one is which?" He pointed to the silver coins.
"Those are sickles." I picked out fourteen of the medium sized silver ones. "Those are knuts." He said, pointing to the little bronze ones. I picked out three. "And those are Galleons." He said pointing to the big gold ones. I handed him the coins I picked out and it was Lily's turn.
She stepped up and Mr. Ollivander pulled down a box. She waved the wand, nothing. He picked out another, nothing. We sat there for about twenty minutes. Lily waved what must have been the thirtieth wand. A beam of swirling rainbow colored ligt filled the room, and nearly blinded me. The beam dwindled away.
"Nice choice, Ms. Evans!" Mr. Ollivander cried. "10 and a quarter inches long, Pheonix Feather, Willow. Good for Charm work. 13 sickles and 5 knuts." I helped Lily sort out the coins, and she handed them to him. We said thank you, and left the shop. The little bell coughed.