The books in the library were amazing! The designs of the wands had a huge range. Some of the books had wands that were little more than a stick. It was plain with little design, but there were other wands that were more was one book that was better than others. It was full of wands that were decorative with animals carved into the handles and spirals. There was another wand that had decorative leaves carved all over the handle. They were so intricate and beautiful. Harry wondered if he would ever be good enough at carving to make designs that looked like that.

The pictures were amazing but Harry wasn't too sure how to practice. He tried to make his bird, but maybe it would be better to try on a smaller scale first. Now that he knew how to sharpen his knife, he needed to practice the different cuts. There were cuts that were notches or deep or shallow. Most of the cuts that Harry had made were shallow and more to smooth down the surface, but to make some of the designs that he saw, he would need to experiment more. To make a leaf shape, Harry would need to make a design that isn't flat but deeper than its surrounding.

Harry planned to experiment with using the tip of the knives to make deeper but narrower cuts. So many ideas flew through his head that Harry nearly ran to the shed now. And speaking of his shed, that was another issue. If Harry only practiced on Sunday then it would take hundreds of weeks before he would become proficient let alone an expert at whittling. Harry would need to figure out a way to get his tools into his cupboard. It would be dangerous but the extra hours of practice would surely be worth it in the long run. He would need to create a scheme to smuggle them through the house. If he tried to smuggle them under his shirt then he would surely be stabbed by them.

Harry closed all of the books and gave them to Miss Violet. Miss Violet had told him that it was better to give the books to her or to put them on the re-shelving cart. So Harry was doing his best to make sure he followed her directions to perfection.

Walking out of the library, Harry didn't immediately go to the Polkiss family. In front of the library there were a handful of trees. The trees were huge and towered over Harry. Harry stepped up to the tree and searched the bottom of the trees for small branches or twigs. Harry's hands were small enough that he could use a twig for a wand. According to the books that Harry read, wands were used to channel magic. So any wand that Harry would make would be decorative. Maybe if Harry was lucky then he could meet someone who could use his wand. If Harry could make a wand like the book showed then Harry would be overjoyed!

After a few minutes, Harry had found about a dozen sticks. He looked at each one carefully. He would pick one up and break off other sticks so it was just one thin one. He would then try to bend it and see how flexible each one was. Harry wasn't looking for something specific but he was trying to find one that felt right. He discarded one stick because it was too thick and unbending. It probably wouldn't want to be carved. Another stick he tossed because it was too skinny and if he carved too much then it would disappear. Another stick he tossed because it was too short. It was barely the length of his hand. One of the sticks became two sticks after he decided that it was too long for a wand. After he broke the stick, Harry wondered if maybe it would have been good for a walking stick. Of course, Harry ignored it because what would he do with a walking stick?

Finally Harry had his final contenders. There were only five remaining. One was so flexible that Harry practically bent in two and it still didn't break. Another was only minorly flexible but it smelled so nice that Harry had to keep it. It reminded him of winter. Winter didn't have too many fond memories, but Harry knew that winter had many fond memories for most people. The memories of the holidays were some of people's fondest. Christmas and spending time with family are very important.

The other sticks were nice but weren't as notable. Harry took two of the sticks and put them in his back pocket. He pulled his shirt over his pocket so no one knew that they were there. The other three, Harry tucked under a nearby bush so he could find them later. These five sticks were going to be his practice sticks. Harry wanted to start with the stick that smelled of winter. It was also minorly flexible so Harry was confident that it would be easier to carve.

Ms. Polkiss was sitting on the same bench that she was at last week. He crept closer to her and he knew that it would soon be time to leave. She smiled at him and patted the bench next to her.

"Why don't you sit down Harry?"

He sat but his body was stiff. He had never sat so close to an adult before.

"So Violet is a good friend of mine and she said that you are one of her favorite library patrons." Harry had never been complimented like that.

"I like Miss Violet. She helped me with my question and she's really smart."

"She is definitely one of the nicest people that I have ever met. She was telling me about some of the books that you have been reading. Is wood carving and magic something that interests you?"

"Kinda. I found a whittling kit and I wanted to know what it was. The tools looked different from anything that I had ever seen. I only looked at magic because I thought it would be cool to carve a wand or something like that."

Harry wouldn't look her in the eye and his words were spoken softly.

"That's great. I am glad that you found something that interests you. You're being safe, right? Knives can be good tools but only if you're careful."

Harry nodded. "I don't play with knives and I am always careful when I use them."

Ms. Polkiss wouldn't expect anything different from Harry Potter. Her own son had the tendency of not thinking things through, but Harry seemed smart and level headed. Petunia was a lucky aunt to have such an easy child.

Ms. Polkiss gathered the two stray boys and they left as a group.

As Harry got closer to Privet Drive, he slowly sunk into himself. Aunt Petunia was going to be angry and Harry would need to find a way to smuggle his sticks into his cupboard.

Dudley ran out of the car as soon as they pulled up but Harry was far more lethargic in his movements. Dudley ran through the house and left the door open. As Harry followed, he saw Aunt Petunia standing in the kitchen cutting lemons. Aunt Petunia turned to Harry and smiled. Harry had never been so scared.

"Perfect. I have been expecting you for a while. I have the perfect job for you."

She finished cutting lemons and turned to grab a pitcher from a cabinet.

"I want you to squeeze each lemon by hand into the pitcher. You will do this until the container is full."

Grabbing the first lemon half, Harry squeezed it into the pitcher and he realized why this was his punishment. Since Harry had done gardening yesterday, he was guaranteed to have been cut at least once by the rose bushes since they don't give him gloves. The lemon juice burned when it came into contact with his cut. It hurt so bad that Harry couldn't help but hiss through his teeth in pain. It stung badly.

Harry stood there squeezing lemons for nearly two hours before the pitcher was full. His hands were throbbing and stinging simultaneously. While Harry had squeezed lemons, Aunt Petunia was watching him from the dining room. Everytime he hissed in pain, Harry could have sworn that he saw a glint of happiness in her eyes.

Seeing that Harry was done with his task, Aunt Petunia frowned a bit.

"Go to your room. There will be no dinner for you and tomorrow you have a long day ahead of you."

Harry was never so grateful for being allowed to go to his cupboard. So far, Aunt Petunia hadn't seen his sticks. As the door shut and he heard the click of the locks, Harry finally allowed himself to relax. He did it! He kept his sticks a secret from Aunt Petunia and now that he was hidden away he could keep them. None of the Dursleys had ever gone into his cupboard and it was the only safe place left.

***

I have a question for all of my readers. Do you like all of the details of whittling? Or would you prefer more or less?