Authors Note: I truly apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I can happily say that I have managed to acquire the use of a new computer, and chapters will be coming out much faster now. Thank you so much for your patience. This chapter isn't much, but I wanted to get something posted so you didn't think I forgot. Hopefully I will have a much more exciting chapter for you in a couple of days. As always, reviews are appreciated. Thanks everyone.

An Intriguing Gift

Harry gaped at his aunt in disgusted wonder. A witch. A manipulative, abusive liar of a witch. He couldn't get his mind to wrap around the idea. Why? Why had she lied to him for so long. Harry wanted to scream in frustration. He wanted to grab her a shake her, demand answers. But now was not the time. For now, Aunt Petunia's secrets would have to remain that way. What Harry needed now, was to see a man about a wand.

Petunia gazed warily at her nephew, unsure of the emotions she saw flickering behind her eyes. Shamed, she turned away, studying the dingy glass of the storefront. Her pulse was beating frantically against the thin skin of her throat. She hoped they didn't see. She didn't want to appear weak in front of them. Of all the places for Harry to visit on this little excursion, she couldn't believe that he would choose this one. The one place in the wizarding world where she might be recognized.

Harry turned away from his flustered aunt and faced the older man. "Can you help me?"

Mr. Ollivander smiled a sad scary little smile. "Just follow me..."

Harry gestured for Lupin to follow him as he made his way behind the older man. Lupin gestured at Harry to go ahead. Harry smiled at the gesture of trust. Not many people seemed to trust him these days.

Ollivander led him into a surprisingly airy back parlor. The room seemed clean and full of sunshine, though there weren't any windows. The old man didn't speak but went straight to an antique looking safe in the furthest corner of the room. Harry followed quietly as if afraid to break the older man's concentration. The old man spun the dial on the old safe and tapped it with his wand mumbling foreign sounding words under his breath. Harry waited with baited breath in anticipation, not knowing what to expect. Finally Ollivander had the door open and he removed a small wooden chest that was so old, Harry was afraid that it would disintigrate into dust if touched too harshly.

"It is the wand that chooses the wizard..." Ollivander spoke, breaking the silence. "However, one can usually ascertain if a wand will at least suit a prospective owner, based on the composition of the wand and by the personality of that wizard. This wand has been passed down from my master, the one who passed his knowledge of wands to me. It was passed to him from his master, and so on and so forth. For almost a thousand years, we have kept this wand safe from those who would seek its power for evil. Most do not know of its existence. It belonged to a great man who did many great deeds." The older gentleman turned toward Harry, the chest nestled lovingly in his arms. "I believe that you also, will do great things, in truth, you already have. I am quite positive that this wand was meant for you. And in the tradition of handing down to ones apprentice, I would like to give this to you. As I said before, I can not sell you a wand. Ministry regulations prohibit the ownership of more than one wand at a time. However, as my apprentice, I am well within my right to pass down a priceless heirloom to you." He grinned an eerie mischievous grin. "You will of course need to learn the fundamentals of wand making from me in order to legally qualify for this, however you can not begin learning until you reach your majority. Having declared you as my apprentice, I can give this to you fully, and upon your 17th birthday I shall begin your training in this noble art." The older man winked. "If this wand responds to you, as I believe it will, I assure you, you will not regret this offer."

Harry smiled at the other man's cunning. "It seems you have thought this through. I want you to know however, that I intend to train as an auror. If I can train during my final year at Hogwarts and still move on to become an auror afterwords, than I would be delighted to be your apprentice."

"Well spoken my lad." Ollivander beamed with approval. "Apprenticeships are rare and desirable in the wizarding world. Becoming a Master in any craft is a long and arduous task, but I believe that you will do well. I want you to accept this gift as intent to study with me, to attain my knowledge and to eventually carry on the craft that I so love. I understand that you have many tasks ahead of you, yet I believe this will be something that you'll come to love as much as I."

Harry nodded at the older man's words a turned his attention the the chest offered to him. Gingerly, he removed it from Ollivander's age gnarled hands and slowly opened the lid. Lying nestled within aged lilac silk was one of the most beautiful and intricate wands he had ever seen. The wood was a deep dark red and tapered to an almost deadly point. The handle was a slim carved griffin, its wings reaching up to frame the long shaft. Tiny emerelds embellished the eyes and brought the wand to life. Carefuly he reached in and grasped the wand, astonished by the way it fit easily into his hand despite the fancy carving. He could feel the power of the wand pulsing inside of him. Like Phoenix Song, it reached deep inside him awakening him to the primal energy that flowed within and around him. he could almost see amgical auras flowing around himself and Ollivander.

"It is as I thought." Ollivander sighed heavily. "The wand has found it's true master."

Harry gazed at the wand in wonder. "Who owned this wand before me?"

"A wizard of great power and courage. I can not at this time tell you of the wand's history. That is something you must discover for yourself. I can tell you that this wand is made out of Amaranth, a very strong wood. Its considered the wood of immortality. You see the lining inside the box? The wood of the wand was once that color. Age darkens the wood to this color. The core is the feather of a Griffin, a powerful and courageous animal. Oddly, the combination of these two elements makes a great wand for powerful spells and for healing. Consider this your first lesson, apprentice. When next we meet, and you come to me to begin your training, you shall tell me of this wands origin." Ollivander removed the chest back to the safe and faced his apprentie once more. "It is getting late, its time to go. I shall look forward to seeing you after your 17th birthday." He began to walk back toward the front room, Harry following closely. "Read up on the subject and start studying. I look forward to our next meeting."

"I can't repay you enough for this gift," Harry spoke earnestly as they rejoined the others within the front room.

"You already have," Ollivander smiled a sad, wistfull smile. He was still smiling sadly as Harry and the others made their way out of the store.

An Adventure in Mugglewear

Petunia seemed to wither under the scrutiny of the assemblage of wizards and witch within the minivan. All eyes, except Lupin's seemed to be turned toward her in intense study, as if trying to understand exactly how to classify her breed. How did one give up being a witch? It was a part of one's nature. It was like giving up breathing. None voiced this thought out loud, but she could tell that everyone was thinking it. The car ride was filled with that tense silence. A million questions begging to be asked, yet not a word spoken. Lupin had whispered the juicy bit of gossip to the aurors whom had elected to remain outside during the visit with the wandmaker. Since that little conversation, not one eye had turned away from her. She was beginning to feel a little like a microscopic slideshow. She almost wept for joy when they at last managed to arrive at Marks and Spencer's.

Harry too, couldn't remove his eyes from his aunt, though his thoughts weren't as charitable as the others. He, however, managed to wrench his mind away from the horrifying facts of his Aunt's true nature, and instead concentrated on the shopping trip that fast approached. He couldn't help but feel excited over his firt real shopping trip. When the van finally pulled to a stop and parked, Harry was ready to leap from the vehicle in anticipation.

Laughing, Remus reeled the younger man to a stop. "Slow down there. We have much to do. It does no good if you wear yourself out before you get into the store."

Harry heeded the advice and took a deep calming breath. With a huge grin plastered to his face he walked calmly with Remus to the opening of the department store. He waited patiently as the group arranged two seperate groups. Tonks and Moody followed Petunia while Lupin and Shacklebot kept with Harry. Harry wasn't the only one excited about the outing. Surprisingly, Moody seemed somewhat keyed up by the event. Though Harry supposed it was due to the unpredictable nature of the outing. Harry had almost laughed at the putrid shade of green his Aunt had turned upon hearing the order of the groups. He smiled every time his Aunt shot a wary glance at Moody.

"Alright everyone," Lupin smiled at the nervous group. "We'll meet back in the luncheon area around 2:30. That gives you a little under two hours to complete your needs. If any trouble occurs please signal with a wand to wand vibration charm, and please, try not to draw attention from the muggles.

The two groups nodded and headed in seperate directions, Petunia's group headed toward footwear and Harry's group headed toward the men's clothing department. As they approached the multitude of clothes, Harry's heart sank into his stomach. Embarassed, he quietly tugged on Lupin's sleeve and mumbled a plea under his breath.

Lupin looked at Harry in confusion. "Yes? I didn't quite catch that, could you speak a little louder?"

Harry turned an alarming shade of red. "I said, I've never shopped before and don't know what sizes I am. How do I find out?"

Lupin's smile turned grim as he glanced in the direction Petunia had taken. "Don't worry Harry. We'll set you all up." Uncharitable thoughts concerning Harry's aunt seemed to race through his mind. Imagine not knowing your own size. "We'll need to step into the loo for a moment so I can measure you. I'm going to need my wand."

Harry blushed even more and headed toward a nearby restroom. Once that unpleasantness had been taken care of, Harry had a blast shopping. He was surprised to see how much older and taller he looked in properly fitted clothing. He bought more clothes than he remembered owning his whole life, which wasn't reall saying much... Surprisingly, even Shacklebot got into the shopping mood and had found a very nice leather jacket and pants set that he promised Harry he could charm to be very sturdy and spell repellent. He had mentioned that it would be almost on par with a low grade set of dueling robes by the time he got done with it. He purchased a few pairs of sturdy boots, two new pairs of trainers. By the time 2:30 came, Harry was exhausted and quite ready to collapse. Laden down with packages, he made his way into the snack area and waited for the arrival of Petunia, Tonks and Moody.

When 3:00 rolled around Harry was getting very nervous, Petunia and the others still hadn't arrived. He could tell that Lupin was also a little uneasy. "We need to go look for them..." Harry didn't want to admit it, but he was worried about Petunia. She wasn't much, but she was still family. The group with Harry agreed, and after some sneaky shrinking charms, the search was on.

Finally, and hour later, the search came to an end, when after many inquiries, a security guard led them into the back area of the store where the holding area for shoplifters were. Harry could feel the anger building inside him as he listened to the guards explanation. Apparently, Petunia had been seen pocketing various undergarments and toiletries and had been caught on camera. When she had purchased the rest of the tems and had tried to leave with the stolen items, she was detained by the security guards.

Harry fought the disgust and anger down and walked into the holding area where his aunt was kept. Tonks and Moody sat in the waiting area outside and gestured helplessly at the woman within the room.

"I think Aunt Petunia forgot to take her medication this morning, Harry." Tonks shook her head in dismay. "I was so sure that she was ready for this outing.

Catching on, Harry too, frowned sternly and turned to the security guard. "I am very sorry to have wasted all your time with this. My aunt is a very sick woman and suffers from obsessive compulsiveness. She's been on a wonderful new medication and we've slowly been reintroducing her to society. We were on an outing today and thought she was ready for this. I truly apologize for this. I will gladly pay for whatever she may have attempted to steal."

The security guard looked at Harry doubtfully. "I am sorry, but she must be taken to the police. She will be booked on shoplifting charges."

Tonks looked at Lupin and shook her head sorrowfully. "I am so very sorry Uncle Remus, I should have never taken my eyes off of her."

Remus, looking not at all happy to be pulled into the role, growled in a gruff convincing matter. "Once this gets into the papers, I will never be able to show my face in the ministry again." He sighed wearily. "This is beyond inconvenient. And right before the election too..."

"Ministry? Election?" The guard seemed a little uncomfortable. "I don't think it needs to go that far. No need to concern the ministry..."

"We could always start a backlash campaign..." Shacklebot steped into the role smoothly. "Cite Marks and Spencers..."

"No!" The guard was horrified and confused by the political jargon. "That won't be necessary. Let me speak to the manager. I am sure, that as long as your willing to pay for the merchandise, everything will be fine."

Lupin smiled benignly, "thank you, that would be most appreciated."

After another hour of explanations and purchases, the group was free to leave. Petunia walked from the store, her head down in shame. Behind her, Harry studied the woman he thought he knew. So many questions leaped in his mind. He felt so angry at all the lies and deception. One thing was for certain, petunia had a lot to answer for when he got a moment alone with her. And he wasn't going to let this one go.

Sensing his gaze, Petunia turned and gazed at her nephew as she prepared to climb into the minivan. She could see the anger and curiosity boiling within his eyes. Her sister's eyes. She was shamed, and frightened. Thought the curiosity frightened her the most. She wasn't ready to tell. She had kept so much hidden for so many years, and already she felt exposed.

"Later." Harry's voice was resolute. "We will speak later. And you will answer my questions. Every last one of them. You owe me."

Sighing in resignation Petunia nodded and got into the vehicle. It was going to be a long night.