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Shopping for Mayhem

Several of the patrons of the Alley looked twice at the sight of Ron and Hermione walking down the centre of the main thoroughfare carrying what appeared to be a long heavy lead box between them. The box was actually feather light, as Ron had conjured it that way, but it was wide enough to make shoppers get out of their way and leave a clear path for Harry, who was walking closely behind it.

They hadn't let him out of their grasp as they explained their theory and Hermione cast her spell over him once more. Harry had been shocked into tears, which he'd hidden in Ron's neck. It had taken the former Boy Who Lived a lot of time and effort to become content in his life as a Muggle and Ron felt very guilty that he was disturbing that hard won peace. Harry had bounced back after a while, just as he always did, and asked question after question, anxious to be told what was to become of him now that he was identified as their rogue.

Once they'd explained that he would be registered the moment he bought a new wand from Ollivander, Harry was champing at the bit to go. Ron had a feeling that Harry feared having someone from the Ministry turning up and locking him away. With a daughter to raise, and a life established comfortably here, that would be a terrifying prospect to the green eyed man. It had been all the could do to force some plain toast on their friend, whose appetite was bound to be very low for a while in the wake of his recent forced illness.

The door to Ollivander's loomed and Hermione pushed it open with one hand. Together they made something of a production out of getting into the store, which gave Harry time to enter as well, and once inside, Hermione cast the strongest privacy spell she knew, followed by Ron's instant security wards. Mr Ollivander appeared in the doorway that led into the back rooms and looked at them closely before lifting his own wand and adding the security of the stores main wards to theirs. Candles flared to life to light the shop as shutters rolled down over the windows and the blind on the door covered the glass.

"I take it that you wish to purchase a wand for the individual in the invisibility cloak?" Ollivanders voice was dry and humourless, and Ron watched as Harry let the cloak slither softly to the floor. Neither Auror was surprised that Ollivander knew Harry was there, as the man had unusually acute senses. He needed them for his work.

"Harry Potter," Ollivander whispered, his face showing all too clearly his shock, "I never thought I would see you again young man."

Ron cleared his throat softly and explained to the wand maker their theory, at the end of which Hermione performed her power and potential spell once more, the soft purple glow of Harry's magic lighting the dim interior of the dusty shop.

Mute, Harry held out his wand, still in its box and wrapped around with string that was knotted in complicated patterns. Ollivander took it with a grimace of distaste, putting the box on the edge of his shop counter and severing the string with a spell. He called up a small cleansing flame with a wave of his wand and then looked at Harry expectantly.

Harry picked the box up and took the wand out, running his fingers over it curiously. It looked exactly as Ron remembered and he shivered in dislike. Knowing what he now did, Ron couldn't believe that his friend had managed to handle something so tainted for so long without coming to actual harm. He was grateful that Harry was unharmed now, and echoed his friends soft sigh as the wand was cast into the flame. Hermione picked up the box lid, and Ron picked up the box itself, adding them to the flame to ensure that all traces of Harry's wand were obliterated.

Ollivander snapped his fingers as the flame died out and his measuring tape zoomed out of a drawer and started measuring Harry for a second time, poring over the content of his shelves as he did, mumbling about wood types and wand cores as he rummaged and the tape measured Harry's nose and arms length.

Wand after wand was handed to Harry, who waved them cautiously at an empty corner, not wanting to risk accidentally injuring someone with a focused blast of magic. Box after box piled up on the counter, each one containing a wand that didn't suit Harry.

"Even trickier than before, Mr Potter! Never mind, never mind, I've never failed to match a wand," Ollivander hopped off a ladder with more spring than someone his age usually showed, and shoved another wand into Harry's hand, snatching it back almost instantly and throwing the box onto the counter. After a solid hour of this, Harry was starting to look a little glazed and wilted when Ollivander crowed in triumph and shoved a long wand into his hand.

Instantly there was a glow at the tip, and Harry made a fountain of sparks shoot from the end, scattering across the floor in a colourful shower. Ollivander gave a cry of triumph, and Harry pointed his new wand at the lead box that Ron and Hermione had placed near the door.

"Wingardium Leviosa," his voice was calm, and the box rose obediently from the floor in response to his smooth swish and flick.

"Griffin feathers and balsa wood, twelve inches," Ollivander murmured softly, "A very rare combination. Godric Gryffindor himself favoured the balsa wood, and Rowena Ravenclaw's core was the same. Fascinating."

Harry shivered and put the wand gently back in its box. Ron had been told all about the little speech that Ollivander had made when Harry bought his first wand and was glad the wand wright chose not to make another. They'd all had enough of prophecies and curious coincidences to last them a lifetime.

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