Disclaimer

see chapter 1...

Annie

Chapter 4

"There's," Annie consulted her supply list, "just my wand left."

"Well there's only one place for that."

"Where?"

"Ollivander's of course. Unfortunately I never had the chance to get a wand, not being able to do magic, but my brother tells me it's the most intriguing place..."

As she stepped into the shop, Annie wasn't quite so sure that Mrs Figg was right. The place gave her the creeps, and it looked as though no one had dusted in centuries. The man behind the desk looked as though he hadn't seen the sun in centuries either. He looked deathly pale, and his white hair didn't help matters. Annie guessed that this must be Mr Ollivander, and he gave her the creeps more than what the shop did.

"Ah, Arabella," he said, "what a surprise to see you here."

"Well, we haven't had a witch in a long time Ollivander." Mrs Figg put her hand on Annie's shoulder. "This is Annie; she'll be starting at Hogwarts in September, so obviously she needs a wand."

"Of course. Well then, step forward my dear, step forward."

Somewhat apprehensively Annie moved towards the desk, as the wizard started pulling boxes from the shelves. Having tried what seemed almost every wand in the shop, Annie was beginning to think that maybe she wasn't a witch after all. She gave Arabella a worried look.

"No need to worry," Arabella whispered, "it took my brother hours to find the right wand; you'll find one soon."

At that point Ollivander came back, with another box in his hand.

"Try this one."

As soon as Annie took the wand, an odd feeling came over her. It seemed as though a wind had picked up in the gloomy shop, and the wand glowed in her hand. Annie realised that this was her wand.

"Very good, very good, and very interesting too."

"What do you mean Ollivander," Mrs Figg demanded.

"Well," he began, addressing Annie, "this wand is made from the finest mahogany, thirteen and a half inches long, quite long for a wand, and its core is a single unicorn hair. Absolutely perfect for Transfiguration. I've only ever sold one wand like it; same length, same wood, only the unicorn hair was from a different unicorn, and it belongs to one of the most powerful witches of our time."

"Belongs?" Annie whispered.

"Oh yes, maybe you'll meet her one day."

"Well Ollivander, thank you very much, but we must be going. Lot's to do." Mrs Figg obviously thought that the man was a bit mad, so Annie quickly paid for her wand, and they left the shop.

"Now I want it understood Annie," Mrs Figg said as they re-entered her office, "you must speak of this to nobody, not even your closest friends."

"But why?"

"The Ministry of Magic really wouldn't like it if the fact that witches and wizards were real got out into the muggle world."

"Muggle?"

"It's what we call people who can't do magic; who are not supposed to know about magic," Arabella emphasised.

"Like everyone here?"

"Exactly. It's another four weeks until you go, so try not to say anything. I doubt it anyone will believe you; they'll start to think you are mad."

"They already do."

"Why?"

"Because I'm always reading. What am I going to tell my friends though? When I go I mean."

"I've already got a story planned. You can tell them that before your parents died, they enrolled you in a boarding school in Scotland, and that they left you enough money to keep you going until you leave school. That should satisfy their curiosity, and it is mostly true. Now why don't you run along now; it's almost time for supper..."

The next four weeks were the longest four Annie had ever spent. She longed to tell her friends where she was going, but had told them the prearranged story, and they had all accepted it. In fact, some of them were rather jealous.

"I'll miss you all when I go, and I'll write to you all the time," she told them.

"But how will I," Annie asked Mrs Figg, when she next saw her.

"Send them by owl to me, and I'll hand them out when they arrive."

Minerva, on the other hand, found that the four weeks had flown by, and before she knew it, it was time once again to collect the first years.

"Here we go again," she muttered to herself as she turned to shut the door to her office.

"I though you liked collecting the first years."

"Albus Dumbledore! Will you not creep up on me like that? You almost gave me a heart attack. What would you have done if I had keeled over just then?"

"Um, had no one to collect the first years?"

"Hmm."

"Ok, I would have missed you terribly and would have probably gone into solitary confinement and would never have come out again," Albus answered as he took Minerva's arm and escorted her to the entrance hall, where a buzzing of chatter could be heard from the Great Hall.

"That's better."

"But we still would have had no one to collect the first years."

"Albus!"

"I'm just joking. I'll see you later my dear."

"Too right you will," Minerva muttered as she watched him enter the Great Hall. Focusing her mind on the task in question, she straightened her hat and waited...

AN: see, I told you there was a longer one coming.....review pretty pretty plz with a phoenix on top!!!