A/N: This? Mine? I think not.
I am officially afraid of asian people. No Offense or anything but I saw the grudge yesterday and I'm afraid that some crazy asian-like ghost shape thing is going to sneak into my room, crawl under my covers and suck my into my bed. shivers And the gurgly croak noise. Damn that was scary. I suggest you see it. You'll either love it or hate it, but either way I garantee at least three startled jumps and lots of laughter. The entire theatre was laughing within the first five minutes.
Chapter 14: Stealing an Heirloom
"Okay so the books are done, I have ingredients for potions and a cauldron, robes, a cloak -a very thin one mind you- and I guess that's everything. Ready to leave?" Alana had been reviewing her Hogwarts list, checking that she had picked up every last material she would need for the year and everything was in order. Except for...
"You forgot one thing Lan." Hermione said, taking her list. "You really kind of have to get a wand."
"You're kidding." Alana said, chuckling. "It would be pointless, you know that, right?"
"Yeah but you're supposed to be passed off as an Italian transfer." Hermione argued back. "The illusion wouldn't be right unless you have a wand." Alana only rolled her eyes and picked up her bags.
"If you insist..."
Ten minutes later, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Alana entered Olivander's wand shop. The place was quiet and the air as still as if no one had entered for years. Alana could feel the magic in the air, feel it flowing over her skin as she walked, sparking as it recognized her blood. She could also feel the river much more than she should while in life. As she crept deeper into the store, the feeling almost made her feel sick and cold, so understandably, she shivered.
"Cold?" Harry asked, placing a hand on Alana's arm.
"No, not in body." she replied taking a deep breath. "Just, um, well, this place has loads of magic in it and I- I can feel death really closely, like the current around my ankles. It's...draining to say the least. Takes a lot of magic to stay here. We'll just have to leave as fast as possible."
"Okay, we'll try but picking a wand takes a long time." he said slowly, recalling when he was first in this shop.
"Oh please. The wand will be a prop." she said, waving her other hand. "I'll just pick the third or fourth one and say it feels right." Harry only shrugged and joined the rest of the group.
"Welcome." Said a voice from above them, making everyone jump. Mr. Olivander had appeared on the balcony above the entrance and was watching them with an air of slight confusion. Why would four sixteen year old wizards be in his shop when they should all have a wand already?
"Can I help you at all?" He asked as he descended the stairs.
"I need a wand." Alana said quietly. Harry glanced at her and saw how pale she was. Could she have under-exaggerated her problem with all the magic?
"Really? Did you buy one from another maker? Because I don't remember selling you a wand, and I remember every wand I have made and sold."
"Uh, yeah. I was living in Italy when I got the acceptance letter. I bought one there." Alana shifted uncomfortably. She didn't like having to keep up this charade. Mr. Olivander stared at her intently for a moment, as if willing her to tell the truth, but moved on when she didn't say anything more.
"Which is your wand arm?" He asked, and Alana held out her right hand. He took her measurements with his magical tape measure and shuffled through his boxes, looking for one to match his truly unique costumer.
"I have never seen anyone like you, Miss...." he raised his eyebrows at Alana, seeking her name.
"Lucas."
"Ms. Lucas. You seem like you have such powerful magic that purchasing a wand would be frivolous and a waste of perfectly good galleons. Why is that Ms. Lucas?" he sounded almost annoyed, like selling one of his precious wands to someone who doesn't need it was insulting.
"I have no idea sir." Alana said shrugging. "I had one up until a few weeks ago, but it was burnt in a house fire. I didn't grab it as I was running out."
"Hmm. Well, try this one, it might fit you." he handed her a wand made of oak, eight inches long. She took it, and swished it through the air.
"No." Mr. Olivander said and snatched it right out of her hand.
"This?" Another, made of cherry wood, ten inches. Once again it was a failure. She tried quite a few more before Mr. Olivander started acting strangely.
"Those were my most powerful wands. I don't think any others would work if you handled them." he sighed and started fidgeting with a fraying hem of his robe.
"Let me think... Let me think." He paced the length of the shop and back for nearly half and hour before he suddenly stopped, mid-step.
"I've got it!" he nearly shouted in excitement. "I never thought I would use this wand Ms. Lucas." He emerged from behind the farthest shelf, carrying a very old, dust covered box.
"This is the oldest wand I own. So old, not even I made it. It was the very last one my great great grandfather did before he died. He was very determined to make it too. Said it was very important and that some one appeared to him in a dream and told him about it. I though he had gone crazy but he was very ill..." He very delicately lifted the wand out.
It was a very beautiful wand, Twelve inches and made of a wood so dark it looked black.
"I'm not sure what is in it." Said Mr. Olivander as he handed to Alana. "In fact, I only know that it's Ebony, fifteen inches. Give it a wave."
Alana looked at the old man strangely with an arched eyebrow. He had to be hundreds of years old and she thought she would feel odd owning a wand older than him, especially if it was the last one made by his ancestor.
"Okay..." She said tentatively, grasping the wand firmly. Immediately she felt its power brush across her skin and almost dropped it in surprise. Sparks began flying from where flesh and wood connected and a harsh wind blew through the shop, blowing papers and hair every which way.
"Yes! That's the one!" Mr. Olivander shouted over the roaring wind. "You can put it down now I think!"
Alana dropped it on the counter without any hesitation. It clattered to a rest, still glowing and sparking every so often. After the wind had died down, Harry, Hermione and Ron approached the desk looking astounded.
"What, might I ask, was that?" Hermione said, crossing her arms and staring pointedly at her friend.
"Uh, it knows I'm meant to be it's witch?"
"I don't think that's all." Harry added. "Nobody has such a strong reaction to any wand."
"Maybe it's because your magic and the wand's magic are a lot stronger than a normal person's." Ron offered "The same thing happened to me when I got my wand, only less....intense."
"Yeah, I know what you mean Ron." Harry said "I remember when I touched mine it was warm, but Alana's sparked."
"That's the different magics recognizing each other." Hermione said
"Yeah, I think we figured that one out Hermione." Harry said sarcastically. "We're not that stupid."
"Okay, we all know it was a weird thing to happen." Alana snapped suddenly "Do we really have to go off and analyse how strange I am?" She sounded hurt that her friends were so adamant to find the reason for the wand's reaction.
"Sorry." Ron mumbled. "We were just curious."
"It's not a crime to be curious." Alana whispered. "But it would be a crime against Dumbledore if anyone found out about me. The shop keeper is already suspicious and having him bring out a special wand is not exactly helpful."
Harry, Ron and Hermione realized how bad the situation could be if Mr. Olivander decided to tell anyone about how a sixteen year old Italian witch bought her first wand at his shop. That would certainly raise some eyebrows at the Ministry.
"Alright, so now that we know to keep you quiet, what do we do next?" Hermione asked after a moment of silence between the four.
"You could stop at the menagerie and check if you want an owl or something." Harry suggested, trying to think of what else students usually have.
"I think I'll pass on the pet, thanks." Alana said, making a face. "If I really want company at the school, I'll send for one of the pets I already have. Adding more to the mix would only throw everyone off."
"You already have animals?" Harry asked. Ron rolled his eyes behind his friend's back. Isn't that what she just said?
"Yeah," Alana said, as she pushed the door open and stepped back out into the brightly lite Diagon Alley. "We live on an island, so the only way to get off it is to take a raft or fly. We don't use broomsticks at all cause they seem sort of, flimsy, I guess. Not powerful enough to withstand the storms we end up getting. So we use winged horses, hippogriffs on occasion and griffins. So sometimes an animal takes a liking to a certain member of the tribe and doesn't let anyone else ride them and that makes the animal essentially one person's pet. Then we have loads of dogs, setters, collies, some shepards, too many to count really. And then there are the cats and birds, not little birds, more like eagles and such. And we actually have a few betnuars. Have you ever heard of them?"
Harry and Ron shook their heads but Hermione, of course, gasped and started ranting about what she had read about the creatures.
"Do you really?" She squeaked. "Are they as beautiful as the drawings in mythology books? Do they actually protect their masters from danger and steer them away from deadly situations? Are they truly immortal? Can th-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down." Alana laughed. "They are remarkably gorgeous and are essentially immortal, but can be killed by certain complex spells that not many people can cast. The part about protection, only sort of. They do give off a magic that adds to a person's defences, but that's it. And truthfully, they guide people to the final death instead of back to life." Noting the horror on her friend's faces, Alana explained.
"They won't kill you or deliberately lead you to your death but once you have died, they will take you to the real end as quickly as they can to prevent you from being risen again by necromancers and such."
"Necromancers?" Ron asked "What are they?"
"People. Very evil people. They raise the dead and use them as and army to kill Taestai. That's their main goal. The less Taestai there are, the easier it will be for them to take over the world."
"That's not good." Harry said offhandedly, like it didn't even bother him.
"Nope. But let's stop talking about it. They aren't even close to being powerful enough to worry about."
"Famous last words." Ron whispered to Harry as Alana and Hermione strolled up the Alley to The Leaky Cauldron.