Disclaimer. If you recognize than it doesn't belong to me, somebody else owns it. I'm not sure if the plot's original either. It's just my take on how things would happen, and because Harry's the only one who's "different" then most of the beginning is going to be the same. People do have lives and personalities before harry came around.
Ch. 4 The Wand.
Harry followed Hagrid into a narrow and shabby shop. The sign on the door was weatherbeaten and the gold lettering pealing with age. In the window, a single smoothed stick lay on a fading purple cushion. That was a wand? Harry felt almost let down. The thing was too small and frail looking to make a good weapon and seemed like it would snap easily.
A bell chimed as the two passed through the door. Within the shop, Hagrid's large body dwarfed even the walls. It didn't matter that he took the lone spindly chair and sat. Harry almost reeled at the feeling of so much raw unfocused power emanating throughout the building. Most of it was coming from the small narrow boxes piled all about the walls. Covering them as if they were a second wallpaper.
"Good afternoon," the soft voice broke through the sense of building. Harry jumped into a defensive position. He hadn't heard the man enter. The man was old, he had wide pale eyes that shined like moons in the dim lighting of the shop.
Harry relaxed his stance before giving the man a quiet albeit translated, "hello."
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." Harry immediately put in a quick "Saotome." which the man seemed to ignore. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten asnd a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
The man moved closer, as if his unblinking silvery eyes were trying to pierce the curtain of dark hair over Harry's right eye. It was creepy, but Harry held his ground.
"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say you father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard of course."
The wand maker seemed to inch forward, while Harry inched back, never quite letting him get close.
"And that's where. . ."
The man pointed towards Harry's forehead that was hidden behind his thick dark hair.
"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. He either didn't notice or chose to ignore Harry's half snort half laugh, the type that a person gives when they don't believe. "Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands. . . well, if I'd know what that wand was going out into the world to do. . ."
He shook his head and then spotted Hagrid.
"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again. . . . Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"
"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.
"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" the stern voice showed more emotion on the subject than openly expressed.
"Er– yes, they did, yes," Hagrid said while shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.
"But you don't use them?" the man said sharply.
"Oh, no, sir," Hagrid said quickly. He was grabbing his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.
"Hmmmm," he said while giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now – Mr. Potter" "Saotome" "Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is you wand arm?"
"What do you mean by 'wand arm'" the man gave him an odd look, either he just noticed the translation charm working, or he wasn't sure that a person wouldn't know their wand arm.
"When you work, which arm do you favor?"
"I don't, it's folly to rely on one arm alone. So I use both. I've trained both with equal dexterity and strength." Harry was given a raised eyebrow for that one.
"Then hold out both arms." Harry complied and the man started to do all sorts of measurements. Finger to elbow, shoulder to hips, around the head. Harry couldn't figure out why any of these would be necessary, but remained still anyway. As he was measuring, he started to speak. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter," "Saotome," Harry's bored voice cut in. Mr. Ollivander ignored it and continued on. "We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenix are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." Harry knew what that meant, if he was disarmed, someone could use his wand.
Harry realized that sometime during the speech, the man wandered into the back room and yet the tape measure was continuing on measuring regardless.
"That will do" he said as he returned from the back room carrying a small pile of boxes. The tape measure fell to the ground forming a small heap of twisted strands. "Right then, Mr. Potter," "Saotome" "Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartsring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."
Harry took the wand, but as soon as he touched it he could feel something wrong, like it was dead. Flicking his wrist to test if the sensation would change, but didn't get the chance as Mr. Olliavender snatched it back.
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try –" It was dead too.
"No, no – here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. GO on, go on, try it out."
This one was also lifeless. So was the next one, and the next one. Harry was beginning to wonder if there was a wand in this place that was alive. Pile of discarded wands grew on the counter, and the higher the pile became, the happier the man seemed to become. Harry knew the look, it was the look of someone discovering a puzzle.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere – I wonder, now – yes, why not – unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Harry took the wand. It was alive, he could almost feel life pulsing through the thin wood. He flicked his wrist and from the end of the wand a stream of color and sparkles shot from the end like fireworks. Hagrid whooped and clapped while Mr Ollivander cried, "Oh bravo! Yes indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well . . . how curious . . . how very curious . . ."
He put the wand back into it's box then wrapped it in brown paper, all the while muttering, "curious . . . curious . . ."
Curiosity got Harry so he asked. "Sorry, but what's curious?"
The man stared at Harry for a moment as if deciding weather or not to tell him. Finally after a moment of silence he said. " I remember every wand I've ever sold. Mr. Potter," "Saotome" "Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gav e another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why its brother gave you that scar," he pointed towards Harry's forehead.
Harry snorted softly, he already knew where he got his facial scars, and it didn't involve a wand.
"Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. . . I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter" "Saotome" "After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things – terrible, yes, but great."
Harry decided that all these people were delusional, this man more so, they all seemed to think he was this "Harry Potter" person and refused to believe his take on the subject.
Harry quickly paid the seven Galleons for the wand and made his egress into the late afternoon light. Harry rubbed his tired eyes as the two made their way back down Diagon Alley and through the wall. Harry was nearly sleepwalking for he'd been awake for nearly forty eight hours at this point. Somehow they managed to balance all the odd packages on the cycle when Hagrid said "I nearly fergot, yeh got to have a trunk to put all this in." Seeing Harry almost asleep on his feet, Hagrid said. "You wait 'ere and I'll go get it fer yeh."
Harry watched as the big man disappeared down the street.
After getting the trunk and all his school supplies fitted within, the two somehow managed to put it onto the motorcycle and rode to the train station.
Hagrid led Harry into platform nine and three quarters which at the time looked barren. There was a block of lockers along one of the walls and a roped off area that had a sign.
"Come'on 'arry," Hagrid said while hauling the trunk to the lockers. Opening one of the doors he slid the trunk inside and told harry to close it then take the small key. The key had a small string attached. Harry was going to need the key to get his stuff out. After attaching the key to the wooden necklace he'd been given, Harry looked at Hagrid and with a sleepy tone asked, "now what?"
"Well, now yeh get sent back to where I picked you up, and you'll be brought here on September first to catch the train." Hagrid surprised Harry by giving him a quick, bone crunching hug, "I'll see yeh then lad."
Harry suddenly felt a strange sensation, like someone was trying to pull his insides out through his navel. After a few seconds of that, the world blurred and then reformed in the clearing that he had been in when Hagrid picked him up, however many hours ago that had been.
Genma and Ranma were long gone, but Harry expected that, they were always moving, so he'd just have to track them down. But not now, in the morning. Harry put his pack down and shortly after laying down using it as a pillow was asleep.
AN: woo hoo, shopping's done, now harry gets to go back to his relatives for the month, or so he thinks. Hehe. PLEASE REVIEW, if you don't I'll pout.
Ch. 4 The Wand.
Harry followed Hagrid into a narrow and shabby shop. The sign on the door was weatherbeaten and the gold lettering pealing with age. In the window, a single smoothed stick lay on a fading purple cushion. That was a wand? Harry felt almost let down. The thing was too small and frail looking to make a good weapon and seemed like it would snap easily.
A bell chimed as the two passed through the door. Within the shop, Hagrid's large body dwarfed even the walls. It didn't matter that he took the lone spindly chair and sat. Harry almost reeled at the feeling of so much raw unfocused power emanating throughout the building. Most of it was coming from the small narrow boxes piled all about the walls. Covering them as if they were a second wallpaper.
"Good afternoon," the soft voice broke through the sense of building. Harry jumped into a defensive position. He hadn't heard the man enter. The man was old, he had wide pale eyes that shined like moons in the dim lighting of the shop.
Harry relaxed his stance before giving the man a quiet albeit translated, "hello."
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." Harry immediately put in a quick "Saotome." which the man seemed to ignore. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten asnd a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
The man moved closer, as if his unblinking silvery eyes were trying to pierce the curtain of dark hair over Harry's right eye. It was creepy, but Harry held his ground.
"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say you father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard of course."
The wand maker seemed to inch forward, while Harry inched back, never quite letting him get close.
"And that's where. . ."
The man pointed towards Harry's forehead that was hidden behind his thick dark hair.
"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. He either didn't notice or chose to ignore Harry's half snort half laugh, the type that a person gives when they don't believe. "Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands. . . well, if I'd know what that wand was going out into the world to do. . ."
He shook his head and then spotted Hagrid.
"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again. . . . Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"
"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.
"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" the stern voice showed more emotion on the subject than openly expressed.
"Er– yes, they did, yes," Hagrid said while shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.
"But you don't use them?" the man said sharply.
"Oh, no, sir," Hagrid said quickly. He was grabbing his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.
"Hmmmm," he said while giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now – Mr. Potter" "Saotome" "Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is you wand arm?"
"What do you mean by 'wand arm'" the man gave him an odd look, either he just noticed the translation charm working, or he wasn't sure that a person wouldn't know their wand arm.
"When you work, which arm do you favor?"
"I don't, it's folly to rely on one arm alone. So I use both. I've trained both with equal dexterity and strength." Harry was given a raised eyebrow for that one.
"Then hold out both arms." Harry complied and the man started to do all sorts of measurements. Finger to elbow, shoulder to hips, around the head. Harry couldn't figure out why any of these would be necessary, but remained still anyway. As he was measuring, he started to speak. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter," "Saotome," Harry's bored voice cut in. Mr. Ollivander ignored it and continued on. "We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenix are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." Harry knew what that meant, if he was disarmed, someone could use his wand.
Harry realized that sometime during the speech, the man wandered into the back room and yet the tape measure was continuing on measuring regardless.
"That will do" he said as he returned from the back room carrying a small pile of boxes. The tape measure fell to the ground forming a small heap of twisted strands. "Right then, Mr. Potter," "Saotome" "Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartsring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."
Harry took the wand, but as soon as he touched it he could feel something wrong, like it was dead. Flicking his wrist to test if the sensation would change, but didn't get the chance as Mr. Olliavender snatched it back.
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try –" It was dead too.
"No, no – here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. GO on, go on, try it out."
This one was also lifeless. So was the next one, and the next one. Harry was beginning to wonder if there was a wand in this place that was alive. Pile of discarded wands grew on the counter, and the higher the pile became, the happier the man seemed to become. Harry knew the look, it was the look of someone discovering a puzzle.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere – I wonder, now – yes, why not – unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Harry took the wand. It was alive, he could almost feel life pulsing through the thin wood. He flicked his wrist and from the end of the wand a stream of color and sparkles shot from the end like fireworks. Hagrid whooped and clapped while Mr Ollivander cried, "Oh bravo! Yes indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well . . . how curious . . . how very curious . . ."
He put the wand back into it's box then wrapped it in brown paper, all the while muttering, "curious . . . curious . . ."
Curiosity got Harry so he asked. "Sorry, but what's curious?"
The man stared at Harry for a moment as if deciding weather or not to tell him. Finally after a moment of silence he said. " I remember every wand I've ever sold. Mr. Potter," "Saotome" "Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gav e another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why its brother gave you that scar," he pointed towards Harry's forehead.
Harry snorted softly, he already knew where he got his facial scars, and it didn't involve a wand.
"Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. . . I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter" "Saotome" "After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things – terrible, yes, but great."
Harry decided that all these people were delusional, this man more so, they all seemed to think he was this "Harry Potter" person and refused to believe his take on the subject.
Harry quickly paid the seven Galleons for the wand and made his egress into the late afternoon light. Harry rubbed his tired eyes as the two made their way back down Diagon Alley and through the wall. Harry was nearly sleepwalking for he'd been awake for nearly forty eight hours at this point. Somehow they managed to balance all the odd packages on the cycle when Hagrid said "I nearly fergot, yeh got to have a trunk to put all this in." Seeing Harry almost asleep on his feet, Hagrid said. "You wait 'ere and I'll go get it fer yeh."
Harry watched as the big man disappeared down the street.
After getting the trunk and all his school supplies fitted within, the two somehow managed to put it onto the motorcycle and rode to the train station.
Hagrid led Harry into platform nine and three quarters which at the time looked barren. There was a block of lockers along one of the walls and a roped off area that had a sign.
"Come'on 'arry," Hagrid said while hauling the trunk to the lockers. Opening one of the doors he slid the trunk inside and told harry to close it then take the small key. The key had a small string attached. Harry was going to need the key to get his stuff out. After attaching the key to the wooden necklace he'd been given, Harry looked at Hagrid and with a sleepy tone asked, "now what?"
"Well, now yeh get sent back to where I picked you up, and you'll be brought here on September first to catch the train." Hagrid surprised Harry by giving him a quick, bone crunching hug, "I'll see yeh then lad."
Harry suddenly felt a strange sensation, like someone was trying to pull his insides out through his navel. After a few seconds of that, the world blurred and then reformed in the clearing that he had been in when Hagrid picked him up, however many hours ago that had been.
Genma and Ranma were long gone, but Harry expected that, they were always moving, so he'd just have to track them down. But not now, in the morning. Harry put his pack down and shortly after laying down using it as a pillow was asleep.
AN: woo hoo, shopping's done, now harry gets to go back to his relatives for the month, or so he thinks. Hehe. PLEASE REVIEW, if you don't I'll pout.