Chapter 5: Thinking on your feet

"Some magics can only be done by doing. 'Practising surely helps', they say. And in part they are right. But in reality magic has such a deep connection to our bodies that some branches can only be performed in the heat of a moment. A certain emotion, vehemently expressed, is the trigger that is needed to jumpstart a skill. And once that skill has been tapped, then let one discover the well." Quote from 'A Mastery of Magic.'

6 days later Harry emerged from his trunk after what had become his usual morning workout feeling refreshed and ready for the challenge that lay ahead. The irregular summer heatwave which ended on Harry's birthday had passed and the typical British clouds now lay strewn across the sky splashing rain as they chose. Ironically for Harry, the gloom of the weather reflected somewhat the worst possible consequence of his undertaking, a fact that only served to rattle his already fragile nerves further.

Today, he would put his summer activities at risk and head to Diagon Alley to attempt to convince Ollivander, Britain's most respected wandmaker to give him a wand, break many wizarding laws in the process, and on top of that, procure a wizard's oath from the man to keep everything secret.

The stakes were high, of that Harry was certain! This time tonight he would either be returning with a wand, which would allow him to practise magic unhindered for the next year or he would be caught and questioned by Dumbledore, at which point his new advancements would no doubt come to a screeching halt.

Moony had tried for the last few days to find another way of obtaining a wand and/or persuading Harry of another course of action. In the end, he resigned to going along with Harry's plan acknowledging it was the best they had. Harry knew the old wandmaker would be a hard sell but with all he'd seen and learnt in his short yet undeniably adventurous life he had come to believe that nothing, no matter how improbable, was impossible. The man would see reason: Harry had to believe that.

In light of the potential aftermath of his trip Harry had spent the last few days especially focused on his studies, namely his wandless magic and occlumency training. Unfortunately, he still hadn't gotten the hang of casting protego, expelliamus or any of his frequently used defensive spells wandlessly, but he knew he was on the verge of getting them.

Much to his delight he had also had some success with his newly discovered hawk Animagus. A few days ago he had been practising his wandless spells and, as had become normal, was attempting to trace its source when he felt an ever so slight tingling sensation. Confused over what he'd struck, he repeated the spell to produce the same results only this time the feeling was more profound: a sort of magical pulse greeted him.

Had he just found his core?

Nearly 48 hours of repetition later and Harry was ecstatic. He'd discovered his magical core!

Life since then had been a non-stop experiment. Every spell he knew had its own particular sensation to it, so when he cast a spell all he had to do was remember the feeling and let it flow from his core. An interesting side effect of this was that his silent spell casting was now a great deal easier. For instance, instead of saying the words in his head he could now just recreate the feeling in his core and let the magic flow from there. He still had a long way to go until he could 'push out' with his magic, which was required for his Animagus transformation, but he was certainly looking forward to practising more- and fortunately even if he did get caught this was something he could do no matter where he went because it only required meditation.

Having purposefully put one of his new dark hoodies on to cover his face if need be, Harry left the Dursleys' 10 minutes earlier than his meeting time with Remus. His morning run had helped to quieten the thrumming tension inside of him, but as time ticked closer the weight of today's actions grew heavier.

As they landed on one of the lesser used Diagon Alley apparition points, Harry didn't know if he was feeling nauseous from the apparition or from the anticipation bubbling out of him over his meeting with Ollivander. He was scared, perhaps more than he should be. He had become so accustomed to his newfound freedom and was learning more about magic because of it that for the first time in his life he felt like he actually had a modicum of control; like he was chasing life rather than being chased by it.

With each bold step he took forward, an even more intriguing possibility presented itself, so much so that the future no longer felt as hopeless a prospect. He by no means felt like he could beat Voldemort or anything, but he was certainly in a much better position than he would have been had he remained stagnant at the Dursleys all summer.

As they backed out of sight from the Alley Harry contemplated all he had to lose by revealing himself to Ollivander (and thus Dumbledore), all he had to gain by getting what he came for and all he would keep by turning away and going home now. While he could carry on training sans wand he knew deep down he needed it if he wanted to be able to train to his limits. The untraceable wand was his key to ultimate independence from all those who sought to control or capture him. He wouldn't have to rely on anyone else as long as he could do magic anywhere anytime and he wouldn't have to worry about being caught if he left school grounds either. He needed the wand, as much for himself as for all those he could potentially help. He felt it was his duty to do all he could for that goal, and this was it.

A steadily placed hand on his shoulder broke Harry from his reverie. He pulled his hood down from over his head and looked up at Remus who was eyeing him with concern. They were in a hidden corner of the alley behind the apparition point and tucked away from prying eyes.

"Are you okay kid, are you sure you're up for this?" Remus inquired, his face betraying his worry. "We can still go back you know. You don't have to do this."

With as much resolve as he could muster and the vow to his parents in mind, Harry took a deep breath, looked Remus square in the eyes and replied. "Yes I do". He said simply with a conviction that clearly mollified Remus who nodded his head in silent acceptance.

"Okay then. So you have your portkey ready just in case something happens right?" Remus checked. He had managed to acquire the magical device from the ministry without too many questions and had given it to Harry as a means of escape if necessary.

"Yeah, no problem," Harry replied touching the necklace which lay under his hoody. He also idly brushed against his wand holster, a birthday gift from Neville which currently contained his Holly and Phoenix feather wand, to make sure it was still there should he need it.

"Alright kid, stay under your cloak until I push the door open, and when I walk out-."

"-I know Moony, I got this." Harry cut him off with a small affirming smile. And with that he pulled out his dad's cloak from inside his hoody and covered himself with it. He then grabbed a hold of the back of Remus' jacket lightly so that he would know he was there and gave a tug. Immediately, Remus started walking forward and with a quickly whispered "Good luck Harry," they were off into Diagon Alley.

It was rapidly approaching noon on a weekday and the school year would soon be starting so the Alley was a little busier than when they had last been here. Harry and Remus would have come earlier to avoid such rushes but Ollivander only opened his door at 11am, by which point the alley would have been busy anyway, so they had little option but to risk it.

People and families all hustled around each other to grab their supplies or go about their business as quickly as possible. Birds and creatures of all kinds could be heard singing and whistling with the swift opening and closing of the Magical Menangerie; the general buzz of excited children running around the Alley hastily followed by apprehending parents chasing after them simultaneously pervaded the ears; and the lofty chants of a young scallywag trying to flog the latest version of the Daily Prophet all culminated in the profoundly magical place that was Diagon Alley.

By far the most prominent sounds to be heard however, belonged to its two newest and undoubtedly most boisterous inhabitants, the Weasley twins. At the far end of the Alley Harry could just about spy over the throng of people the prominent Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes sign. To announce its opening, in true Fred and George style they had several small fireworks exploding randomly outside the front of their shop. Harry thought with amusement that such a display probably served to drive as many of the snobbish customers away as it did to attract new and younger customers in, an outcome that Harry thought the twins would have orchestrated with glee. Despite his present situation Harry smiled to himself, if anyone could relax and make him laugh right now it was them and he was extremely grateful for the relief.

He held on to Remus' jacket firmly as he followed in his footsteps towards Ollivander's. Remus had applied a quick glamour charm to himself this time so Ollivander wasn't able to connect him with Harry in case things did go south. Therefore at the very least Remus' involvement wouldn't be discovered. Harry didn't want to reveal anything he didn't have to to the wandmaker.

As they crossed the Alley Harry glanced around to look at the faces of the people present. While there was still excitement in some of the younger children's eyes, whom the full impact of the current situation was too much for, the adults looked slightly more cautious, eyeing passers-by with suspicion and keeping their families closer by. They knew the war had started. The muggles had been the first to see the resulting damage and it was only a matter of time before they did too.

Harry didn't recognise anyone as he approached Ollivander's door, although he did pass a girl about his age with a younger version of herself next to her hastily moving onto the next shop in the Alley. Harry vaguely recognised the older girl from his year but couldn't quite place her name. She was exceedingly beautiful with long dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Harry panicked for a moment as she seemed to lock eyes with him as they passed, but in the next second she had turned her gaze away again and carried on walking as if she hadn't seen him.

'Get a grip Harry you're under an invisibility cloak after all', he thought. By now they had arrived outside Ollivander's. Upon glancing through the window Harry noticed that, luckily for them, the shop was empty and Ollivander was standing by himself behind the counter flicking through a notebook. Remus hesitated briefly when he got to the door, but a quick nudge of reassurance from Harry told him it was okay to proceed. So, without another second spent, Remus pushed open the door and the two entered Ollivanders.

Harry walked in hot on Remus' heels and then separated by a few feet. For his part Remus certainly channelled his inner marauder, doing a masterful job of opening the door and glancing around before realising he had walked into the wrong shop entirely; Harry would have to compliment him on his superbly acting skills later on. Ollivander who looked up upon Remus' entrance glanced down again to his book with amusement over the dithering customer's mistake.

As the door shut, Harry tiptoed over to the 'open for custom' sign and flipped it around.

From here, he crept into the centre of the shop floor in front of the counter and pulled his hood back to reveal the front of his face to Ollivander, still concealing him entirely from behind in case anyone was to glance in. The aged wandmaker didn't miss a beat and swiftly reached for his wand. Upon seeing who his furtive customer was however, he stopped and a small smile appeared on his warm wrinkled face.

"Well, well, well, . What a surprise it is to see you here once more." Ollivander croaked out as curiously as confidently. Harry could tell he was piqued by his abrupt entrance in his shop not to mention the clandestine nature by which Harry had appeared- of which the man was quite correct in his interest, although quite how correct he probably wouldn't be expecting.

"Good day ." Harry stated simply. The two stood in silence for a few more seconds. Clearly his situation warranted seriousness and Harry wanted to pause to let the old wandmaker know it.

"I'll be brief sir as I doubt we have much time. Please do forgive my boldness, unfortunately these are desperate times and therefore they call for desperate measures." Harry said earnestly. Ollivander replied by nodding, dropping the small smile from his face and standing up straight.

"I need your help Mr. Ollivander," harry began, "I need a wand. I need it to be untraceable, by the ministry and by whom ever else may try and I need you to swear an oath that you won't ever speak of my being here or acquiring the wand from you to anyone without my permission." Ollivander's eyes grew wider and eyebrows higher with each request. Harry tried not to look phased and just stared back at the man in front of him.

" , while I can appreciate the toughness of the times and gravity of the impending war, I seriously doubt your need for another wand, particularly under such drastic circumstances as you have outlined." He stated appalled. "Your current holy and pheonix feather wand is surely more than capable of performing for you as you need it, is it not?"

"My current wand is perfectly fine, thank you Sir. But it does not suit my current needs." Harry countered, expecting this rebuff from the man. "For reasons that are plainly obvious, now more than ever, I need to learn and practise as much as possible. I require a new wand which is as I said untraceable to all who should seek me. Only with this will I be able to train to the best of my ability." Harry paused, looking down, as if the gravity of his situation and the war were straining against him. " , I know you know how much danger I'm in. And I know you think that Dumbledore and the order have my best interests at heart and so are protecting me thusly. But you don't know the truth of my role within the war or what I will have to do. You don't know that in the end it won't matter what protection I have because he will come for me. He will because he has too. In his eyes, I am a defiant red mark in his otherwise clean ledger. And he will do anything to wipe me out." Harry let those words sink in before continuing. Ollivander's eyes had not left Harry's for a second. "I know you are a wandmaker of great skill , and thus likely possess wands which would aid me in my training. I have come here today to ask for your help in getting one." Again Harry reiterated his request. "I need a wand. And I need your oath of secrecy."

What dawned on the aged wizards face next was, Harry believed, acknowledgement. He knew how much danger Harry was in and so would need all the help he could get. The difference would come in whether he believed Harry was ready to make those decisions for himself or not. Instead of waiting there for the man to make up his mind, Harry attempted to sway him a little more.

"I am of course willing to pay you for the wand and your troubles. I also have a rather rare substance at my disposal which I believe you will be interested in. I imagine basilisk venom would make an incredibly interesting wand core, wouldn't you say?" Harry said, still with his serious look.

"Above all Sir," he continued, "I need this from you, because ultimately I must practice. I must push myself further than I ever thought I could if I'm to have a chance of beating him or having a life after. You must realise by now that he simply will not stop until I am dead. We both know Dumbledore is a wise man, but he has made some grave errors in judgement with regards to me and my life and I can't let that happen anymore. This is my decision, my life. And I need your help to make it that way once more." Harry finished. His voice hadn't risen, just grown in vehemence.

The shock of Harry's demand and terms were at first half replaced with astonishment over the offered ingredient on the old wandmakers face, before they switched to a sad acceptance over Harry's fate. Ollivander's eyes had not only betrayed his desire for such a highly coveted compound, but also his dawning realisation of Harry's impending chances in the conflict that was upon the doorstep. As a visibly shaken Ollivander tried to steady himself he placed his suddenly more fragile looking hands on the counter in front.

What was only seconds in reality passed like years for Harry as he stood sweating under his cloak, his heart refusing to beat slower, watching like a hawk and trying in vain to read in Ollivander's face his answer, all while hoping against hope that it would be in the affirmative.

As the silence grew heavier, the pop of every frenzied firework echoed through to Harry's heart.

The wandmakers sunken and beady eyes rose slowly from the counter to Harry's once more and in that moment Harry knew the man's answer. "I'm sorry, . I know what you are asking of me, and I know how much you think you need it-."

Registering only the answer, solutions stampeded through Harry's mind.

Could he quickly grab any wand and try to obliviate the wandmaker?

"-However what you are asking me to do goes against everything I have sworn to uphold, against the laws of our country."

Could he get Remus in to do the same and grab a random wand anyway?

"And not only that, but you are also asking me to lie to my friend, whom I trust wholeheartedly to know what is best for his students, particularly one he cares for as greatly as yourself."

Could he run?

"So I'm sorry , I cannot grant your request-."

Should he do any of these things?

His mind was racing and his heart was driving it.

"I will however, keep your appearance here today to myself," Harry refocused. "As in the end I can understand and sympathise with your motives and I do not think such information would help the relationship between yourself and your head…." Olivander paused abruptly his eyes darting over Harry's shoulder.

"There's someone coming! Quickly, back here and hide!" Ollivander's swift plea and gesture to the back left no room for disobeying. Harry covered the front of his face, making himself fully invisible, and shot behind the counter just as he heard the bell over the door ring and someone enter.

Sneaking towards the back of the shop, he heard the gruff voice of the newcomer start conversing animatedly with Ollivander. Harry only caught snippets of conversation before he was quickly distracted by his new position amongst the abundant stock of Ollivander's wands. Glancing around he saw hundreds if not thousands of wand boxes laying without labels atop the shelves - and this was only one aisle.

Would Ollivander really notice if Harry took one now?

Without thinking Harry began to walk down the aisle to see if he felt anything towards any of the available wands. He thought he felt a faint prickling sensation in his right hand, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had begun when he turned to find the source. The voices in Ollivander's front room now grew louder. It sounded like there was more than one customer who had entered. But he needed a wand and this was his chance. He was right here, he could just grab one.

"I don't care what he wants or what you can offer," Olivander's suddenly harried voice broke through his fixation. "I am not coming with you".

At the mention of him Harry knew exactly who they were. 'Shit!', he couldn't use his wand or else someone would discover his location.

Pulling his hood back over his head Harry moved back to the edge of the bookcases to peak back into the room. There were three of them, all were dressed in long black cloaks and had dirty faces, each sporting malicious grins as they surrounded the helpless wandmaker.

Like predators circling their prey their grins grew exponentially as they realised they would have to use force to take the old man. Harry could hear fireworks coming more frequently from the alley now. The Death Eaters were finally moving on Diagon Alley, and Harry was powerless to stop them.

His mind and heart again began to rocket as he thought of what to do.

Suddenly the three assailants drew their own wands and aimed them menacingly at Ollivander, ready to curse. Without thinking Harry grabbed the nearest wand from out of its box and thrusted it forward into the main room aiming at the middle death eater.

When Harry had been a child on his first visit to Ollivander's he had tried several wands, with mixed results – breaking several items within the shop - before finally finding his well suited holly and phoenix feather wand. This time, when Harry picked up the random wand, he felt what he could only describe as a burning in his magic as it funnelled through the wand and exploded out of the end. A tremendous bang was all Harry could hear and he was thankful his eyes were half closed as an immense blast of light accompanied it. The wand shot out of Harry's hand landing somewhere behind him as it finished its display of unease with him.

Not wasting any time, Harry, still wearing his cloak, sped into the main room. As the smoke cleared he noticed the main window of Ollivander's now had a massive crack down the middle and the centre Death Eater lay unmoving on the floor beneath it. The other two had been blasted back by the look of it and were struggling with their eyes and ears as they tried to recover their senses. Ollivander was similarly on the floor behind his counter attempting to regain control of himself. Harry, without the ability to use his wand, grabbed Ollivander and half carried him towards the back of his shop. As they approached what looked like Ollivander's open study door, Harry heard one of the men in the front room start shouting Ollivander's name.

The two entered the study and Harry slammed the door hoping it would lock harder that way. The old wandmaker flopped into the nearest chair as he came to himself once more.

"What was that explosion, Harry?" He inquired frantically.

"Well, let's just say my reputation of being a difficult customer to suit isn't without merit." Harry replied as he locked the study door. He then went over to the opposing back door which he hoped led to the way out. Twisting the handle, Harry found it opened up onto a tiny alleyway that paralleled Diagon, giving access to building owners and merchants.

'Brilliant,' Harry thought, 'we can escape down here if we hurry'. Upon turning round to Ollivander however, Harry decided to push his luck.

"Do you see now, ? Do you see why I need one so badly. Please give me a wand Ollivander, please!" Harry pleaded one last time with a fierce desperation in his voice for the wandmaker to see reason.

"I'm sorry Harry, I just ca…." but before Ollivander could finish the door gave heavy bang and Harry leapt back from it, only to be surprised when it held in place. The entire floor shook as if a heavy blast had just impacted on the other end though, prompting Harry to look at the wandmaker questioningly.

"It's warded in case of burglars. I keep my most prized creations in here , but the door won't hold for long; the wards are rather old." He said with urgency as he got up and made for the back door. Hesitantly, Harry followed him, his feeling of desperation and the need to act divided him. He required a useable wand for the future, of which he might not have if he remained here.

Just as the door gave another thud rattling everything in the room, Harry felt the tingling sensation once again in his hand. He turned around to face back into Ollivander's room attempting to follow the source. He began to walk forwards, the prickling in his fingers increasing the closer he drew. It grew so much that within moments his hand was basically trembling.

"Potter, what are you doing?" Ollivander hissed from behind pleading Harry to flee.

The Death Eaters were cursing and yelling Ollivander's name on the other side of the door as the frame started to crack."There almost through!" He yelled in desperation.

Harry felt his hand reach the boiling point of vibration and just as he felt he couldn't hold it in anymore he raised his arm and out of a small ornate box shot a light brown wand. Reacting as if it were the fleeing snitch in the must win game of the season Harry swiped the incoming wand out of thin air.

What had just happened? Harry asked himself.

He had less than a second to admire it let alone consider its origin when the door gave one last almighty roar and erupted into a sea of splinters showering pieces of wood everywhere and throwing Harry to the ground. Two enraged Death Eater emerged through the fractured doorway in its wake. Their wands were drawn, spells on the tip of their tongues, ready to strike.

-HP-

Darkness was all he knew. The only way he could describe it was as if a heatless flame was engulfing him. There was no feeling of motion, no smell of burning, just the cackle of abrupt fire rising through the air. Half a moment later he was free of the sensation once again and stepping out unscathed into the Leaky Cauldron. He had never really loved wizarding methods of travel, least of all by broom, but this one was by far the best. Last year he and his friends had even tried a new method in their desperation, unfortunately flying hundreds of feet in the air while atop a creature you couldn't even see was entirely too disconcerting, so would have to go on his growing list of wizarding travel rejects.

As he headed out to the back of the inn he nodded politely to Tom the bartender who had become accustomed to seeing his face appear out of the green flames every other day. Neville's love of plant life was well known in school, but it was now gaining him a reputation among the inhabitants of the Alley as well. His regular visits to Valamando's Exotic Plants were for the most part purely for research purposes. The owner, a very large man with a heart of equal size, had welcomed him with open arms and had graciously promised to show Neville all he knew about Botany and Herbology.

Today, Neville had discovered, was his favourite day of the week, for today was delivery day and that meant new species to examine. Neville thought of it as if he were doing an unpaid internship. Ironically, he enjoyed it so much that he would have unblinkingly paid to be there rather than the other way around.

As he strolled down Diagon Alley he took note of its business today. Clearly the new term shopping had started. He was thankful he already had most of his stuff. Speaking of, he idly checked his new wands position in his holster which rested securely against his forearm. To say Neville was itching to use it was an understatement. He could already feel it reacting so much better to him than his father's. Since receiving it he had felt like a caged bird desperate to enter the sky and claim his freedom. Propelled by his high OWL scores in Defence and Charms he had taken Harry's advice to heart and had spent the past few weeks reading up on duelling tactics and defence. Harry was right, this war was coming to them and he sure as hell wasn't going to sit on the side lines while it was fought.

Happily for Neville, his gran's recent encouragement in him, no doubt bolstered by his higher than expected OWL grades and thus the chance to follow in his father's footsteps, served as a very welcomed endorsement. She had subsequently given him permission to go to Diagon Alley to work for Valamando as long as he studied in the meantime, which he was all too happy to do.

Bypassing Fred and George's daily entertaining firework display, he strode a few more feet up the alley until he came to his destination. Stepping into Valamando's he was greeted by a pungent musk, which after stinging the nostrils and burning the back of the throat left a surprisingly sweet taste in the mouth. This particular plant had been tamed so its daytime effects were reduced, otherwise the sheer power of the pollen rendered the recipient incredibly dizzy. He had had the pleasure of attempting to subdue it at night, when it was more docile, last week. It had taken him and Emilia several hours, but they had finally managed to clamp down its erratic vines and pacify its core. Neville had thoroughly enjoyed the experience and not just because he had gotten to work with the vivacious plant.

"Neville my man, how are you?" Valamando's booming voice broke into his thoughts.

"Hello , I'm great thanks and yourself?"

"As always I'm swamped," he began, "each of these plants requires constant attention to grow and I'm barely keeping up. Merlin knows what I'll do when you go back to school." He moaned good-naturedly.

"You'll be fine, Emilia will be more than happy to take on the extra work I'm sure."

"Yes, that'd give you an extra reason to visit as well," Valamando grumbled under his breath so Neville could barely hear him.

"What was that?" Neville exclaimed.

Valamando did his best to put on his most innocent face, although the barely suppressed mirth in his eyes made him a dead giveaway.

"Oh nothing lad, I just coughed," he feigned playfully. "Hand me that spray would you?" He followed up quickly as he tried to prune the plant in front of him. Neville knew he was pretending to be immersed by it. He had endured numerous teasing from the man since he had started working more often with the beautiful shop assistant. Grudgingly, he handed him the spray, although he was half tempted to spray the repellent at him as payback. Just as he was about to retort however he was cut off.

"Neville, I didn't hear you arrive." Emilia said cheerily as she entered the shop from the back. Her hair was tied into a simple ponytail and she had her typical white coat on, they suited her perfectly, Neville thought.

"What were you boys talking about?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, only what we always talk about." Valamando paused here cheekily, clearly trying to tease Neville whose cheeks began to turn a faint shade of pink. "Plants dear, of course," he finished as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You boys and your plants." She exclaimed amusedly rolling her eyes. Fortunately, she hadn't noticed Neville's light embarrassment as he hastily tried to squash it down. Turning around to shield himself from them, he attempted to change the subject.

"So, anything new arrive today?" Plants were sometimes the only way to distract the incorrigible big man. Upon being reminded of them his eyes lit up and he launched into a description of his newest stock.

He was half way through, when a loud bang echoing from outside caught their attention. Just as they were about to dismiss it as another one of Fred and George's flamboyant firework's gone awry, a flurry of spells flew past their window followed closely by a cacophony of panicked screams.

Dropping their tools they rushed to the window. Black robed figures had apparated into the alley and were firing spells wherever they could.

"Death Eaters!" Neville proclaimed. People were scattering all over the place and diving for cover. A father was trying to shield his children from a volley of spells, an elderly witch crouched in the alcove of a derelict shop door.

"I've got to get out there," was Neville's first reaction.

"No!" Valamando blurted out, "You can't kid, you'll only get yourself hurt. There aren't enough of us to do anything against that many." He pleaded grabbing a hold of Neville's shoulder.

Turning to look back out into the alley Neville noticed there were 20, maybe even 30 of Voldemort's supporters causing mayhem. "I have to do something," he asserted, "I can't just stay here."

Valamando seemed to think for a second before coming up with a plan. "Okay, we'll shield the shop and you while you take cover in the doorway and usher people in here. They can floo out the back and to safety." Emilia nodded her approval, but looked equally frightened as some of the people out there.

Not wasting any time Neville simply nodded. He tentatively opened the door, his wand already out. Thankfully the shop, due to its volatile contents, was already heavily warded against most damaging spells, so Valamando and Emilia could concentrate on shielding him as he crouched in the doorway and attempted to usher people inside. He saw across the alleyway Fred and George were doing the same.

Anybody that couldn't make it to them came rushing towards Neville's outstretched hand, desperate for an escape or any semblance of cover.

Pulling people inside Neville saw several Death Eaters coming his way.

"Look the Aurors are here!" Emilia shouted over the intensity of the spell fire. From the other end of the alley came a contingent of Aurors, their bright white robes flapping intently as they met the Death Eaters head on in combat. Neville had shepherded the brunt of people through the doorway just as the space in front of the shop exploded into a haze of spell fire.

"Quickly everyone, follow me to the floo!" Valamando's booming voice served to garner attention from the frantic crowd.

In the moment they all fled towards the back, a deafening blow shattered the glass from behind and the lid of the battle was blown off. Spells and debris began flying through the window striking anything in sight. The last thing Neville recognised as he turned to shield was a silvery spell heading towards him with crushing speed. And then all he knew was darkness once more.

-HP-

Ollivander's possessions had been flung all over the place. The door frame was ripped to shreds and what was left of the door had flown across the dainty room spearing a glass cabinet full of firewhisky. Despite being thrown to the ground, Harry had not sustained any injuries and came to his senses quick enough to hear the two Death Eaters enter the room.

Harry's head immediately snapped down to survey his body. His cloak was still wrapped around him shielding all but his head. They hadn't seen him!

With triumphant glee on their dirtied faces the two black robed men immediately sought out their target. Reacquiring Ollivander in their sights, they raised their wands.

Not having time to consider its capability Harry aimed his new wand and fired two silent stunners in rapid succession. They flew seamlessly out of the tip of the wand, through the air and connected perfectly with the unsuspecting Death Eaters, who just about managed a look of disbelief before they slumped to the ground: unconscious.

Harry and Ollivander both stared shocked at the wand in Harry's hands. He had no idea how he had summoned it or how that was even possible, let alone how well it had reacted to him. Right now wasn't the time to question a good thing, Harry chided himself as he came to his senses and bound the two downed Death Eaters with Incarcerous. Much to his delight and relief the first two spells weren't flukes as the wand responded incredibly warmly to his requests, like his original one had done, yet different somehow.

Turning to Ollivander Harry was instantly perplexed by the look the man was giving him: gazing at him with a mix of total awe and disbelief.

" …," Harry began.

"I'll do it , I'll swear a wizard's oath." And before Harry could say anything let alone comprehend his sudden change of heart the aged wandmaker grasped Harry's wrist and began to recite the vow just as the bookshop owner had done. Harry was so shocked by Ollivander's complete u-turn that he was barely able to shake himself out of his stupor to make sure Ollivander's words were accurate enough as to leave no room for exceptions.

Satisfied with the man's sincerity Harry nodded his head, still not really believing what was happening as a blue light circled them to complete the vow.

"But why?" Was all an incredulous Harry could think to ask. Before Ollivander could answer a tremendous explosion from over the rooftops reminded them of the raging battle taking place and the danger they were still in.

"Come on, we had better get you out of here and quick." Harry said urgently. "Can you apparate?"

Catching his meaning Ollivander span on the spot attempting to escape via apparition. When he remained where he was however he looked back at Harry in dismay. "Anti-apparition ward up over the Alley."

Harry nodded in reluctant acceptance before grabbing Ollivander and leading him swiftly down the small alley. After going past a few back alley shop entrances, Harry discovered the alley bent around the edge of a building and led back out onto Diagon. Unfortunately this side alley, which led onto the main walkway, was too wide to sneak down unnoticed and from their vantage point Harry could see spells flying across Diagon. He could hardly fail to see the few bodies haphazardly strewn at the end, their fates unknown but serving to send Harry and Ollivander a very clear warning. "Definitely not a good idea to go that way then", Harry said.

Just as he began to debate their options, Harry caught a faint noise coming from somewhere close to him. It was difficult to hear anything with the roar of wizarding duels usurping all else only a few feet away, but as a spell harshly impacted the wall at the base of the alley, he heard a corresponding small whimper to the left of them.

With his new wand drawn, Harry slowly pulled back a cloak which had been used as cover to find, huddled tightly together, a mother and her two young children, whom she was cradling protectively, shielding them from any stray spells. She had her back turned to Harry but craned her neck to see both him and Ollivander standing over them. Relief immediately washed over her and a lone tear escaped her eye as she recognised they weren't the death eaters she dreaded. Harry quickly cast a shield around them before motioning them to come around the corner of the Alley and out of the indirect line of fire. Observing the two frightened and confused children and their petrified mother, who gripped them with an intensity only a parent could, Harry earnestly untied his invisibility cloak and hung it around the three of them.

"Keep this around you and stay out of sight until this is over, okay?" Harry said to the young woman who nodded apprehensively. She thanked him for the cloak as Harry turned and began to look for a way out.

"Quick, in here," Ollivander said gesturing to the backdoor of the building they were behind. "Ethol has a fireplace in her antiques shop we can use to floo out." At that everyone rushed towards the man who was able to use an unlocking charm to get through the door.

As they hurried through and took cover in the back Harry noticed the entire front of the shop had been completely blown out. Spells were flying everywhere outside and Harry could see people duelling fiercely through the large hole that was left. He briefly scanned for Remus but couldn't see him from his limited position.

From here though he could see a few people crouched to the right inside the store using the counter for cover. They appeared to be taking it in turns to floo out but it looked dangerous as the fireplace was completely exposed and therefore open to ricocheting spells. One of them was struggling to shield the others as best she could as they ran for the fireplace. It was obvious she needed help.

This was the moment he had been waiting and preparing for. He had his wand, he hoped it wasn't traceable to him, so it was time to act and do what he could for these people. He pulled his dark hood, that he had worn under his father's cloak, over his head to cover as much of his face as possible and smiled while making a shushing gesture to the mother who was looking at him while covering her kids. She nodded seemingly understanding his meaning.

"Okay, I'm going to try and cover you guys so you can get to the floo and out of here. Keep your heads down and hold on tight to your mother kids." Harry said trying to give them a reassuring smile. "Floo to 's they should be able to take care of you." Harry finished addressing the mother once more.

As the woman nodded Ollivander caught Harry's arm sharply and pulled him around so only he could hear him. "Thank you, . You may well have saved me from a fate worse than death today. Please keep the wand and trust me it's completely untraceable. Just be careful with it, alright lad?" The old wandmaker croaked out in concern. Harry guessed this was clearly more excitement than the aged man was used to as he appeared suddenly much older. The fact that he still managed to convey the seriousness of his portent despite this made Harry pause. He would have to ponder Ollivander's meaning later as a mirror smashed a few feet away from them bringing him back to the present.

The battle outside appeared to reach boiling point as the randomly fired spells increasingly becoming a threat to those stuck inside and if that wasn't enough a lone Death Eater suddenly jumped through the space left in the wake of the smashed front window. Using an upturned table as cover, the DE quickly started shooting spells back out into the alley, oblivious to those trapped behind him. Harry knew without thinking, this was his moment.

At the same time as the woman on the left attempted to shield the last person on her side to beeline for the fireplace, Harry leapt from his hidden spot and sent a silent stunner at the unaware Death Eater. His practise over the summer and during the D.A. last year certainly paid off here as his spell struck the unsuspecting target square on the back knocking him instantly unconscious. Wasting no time, he darted forwards and held a shield in place while signalling for everyone who was left behind him to get to the fireplace as quickly as possible.

The woman who was shielding on his right was momentarily taken back by his abrupt entrance, but thankfully didn't stop to question. Harry hoped she would deduce his intent, after all there was no way any Death Eater would be caught dead in the muggle outfit he was currently sporting.

Craning his head, while still focusing mostly on the shop window in case any further Death Eater's came forward, Harry checked if Ollivander and the mother were able to floo out in the time he was buying them. Just as he caught the mother and her children were stepping through, he spied a new Death Eater focus a flurry of spells inside the shop while attempting to enter. Harry fortunately had his shield in place, but had to act quickly to duplicate it and rapidly defend as the attacker breached the boundary of the shop and closed the gap.

Annoyingly, he was unable to utilise his summer's increased exercise training to his advantage and dodge spells as he couldn't let a single spell get through to the unsuspecting people behind. He was therefore stuck with shielding and counters, which given the Death Eater's predilection for harsher spells left him at a distinct disadvantage.

Just as he began to form a plan, another Death Eater opportunistically jumped into the foray and engaged him as well. Harry was barely able to fire off any retaliatory spells let alone attack with two to defend against now. Luckily his wand was working seamlessly for him, obeying his every command fruitfully, otherwise he would have been toast ages ago.

While the Death Eater's were vicious it was their predictability which rendered them equally vulnerable and allowed Harry to intercept a few spells and reflect several in a row back at them. This caught them off guard and as they retaliated with abandon Harry knew he'd have to pull something extraordinary out of the bag in order to keep defending. Unfortunately, he also couldn't look behind him to check and see if there was even any reason still to defend as his current task required all his concentration just to stay standing.

After a few low-powered reducto's in a rowfrom the Death Eaters Harry realised they were just toying with him. They knew his priority was defence rather than attack and were stringing him along; in essence harry thought, they were underestimating him. Well, he was all too happy to disappoint.

Just as they fired off a blasting curse Harry ran forward to engage it, closing the gap between them considerably before firing off multiple stunners at close range. The two Death Eaters clearly hadn't expect an attack and were forced to shield. Unfortunately, given their superior number, only one of them needed to shield at one time leaving the other free to attack. The bigger looking one who seemed to be the more confident at duelling was clearly affronted at Harry's aggressive tactic and fired a sickly looking orange curse in quick response. Harry dodged, leaping backwards and to the side. This however put him right in the path of another spell the smaller Death Eater had fired which rocketed towards him.

It was a stunner. He couldn't raise a shield in time. It was going to hit.

Just as the spell was about to strike, it impacted off a shield Harry didn't know was there and reflected back at its perpetrator. The blonde lady who was shielding people earlier swiftly jumped into the action by Harry's side, and following his earlier efforts, sent multiple curses and stunners at the now evenly numbered Death Eaters.

"Stupefy, Reducto, Stupefy!" She yelled.

Surprised but not defeated the two Death Eater raised shields and countered the incoming spells. Seeing as they had now lost their usual advantage though, the two Death Eaters began to defend, retreating several steps.

"Protego!" They spat repeatedly. Silent casting now giving way to speed.

Guessing that the woman had joined the fight because everyone was clear, Harry was able to move freely once more and go on the offensive. Given their new situation the Death Eaters panicked sending a flurry of more dangerous curses towards both Harry and his new ally.

"Crucio!"

"Rudacto!"

Interpreting these, Harry ducked under an unknown purple curse and threw two rapid blasting curses at the bigger enemy. The Death Eater was ready for the first but not for the second, which Harry had thrown all his strength into. The power of the spell tore through the barely constructed shield and sent him flying back out of the shop and into the street.

The less experienced Death Eater turned his head to watch his partner being ejected which in the end served to be his undoing. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction the blonde woman fired off a blasting curse of her own, tossing her enemy back out into Diagon Alley and ending their battle.

They did it!

Sweet relief washed over Harry. He panted trying to catch his breath and regain himself. His hammering heart took a few moments to temper. As he dropped his wand hand and glanced at the rapidly ending battle outside Harry hoped that everyone he was trying to protect had gotten out safely.

Turning to pose the question to his blonde ally, Harry caught in the deepest corners of his vision a stray spell heading towards the shop.

He hastily tried to raise a shield but was only able to partially complete it before the blue firework, which Harry recognised as Reducto impacted the floor right next to them.

The ground exploded, raining splinters and dust throughout the already destroyed shop and throwing both Harry and the woman into the air. He impacted the ground with a thud, landing on his side and struggled to find his bearings with his vision blurred and his ears ringing rampantly.

Coming to his senses a few moments later, Harry realised he had been thrown back a few feet and was lying on his side facing the woman who had aided him. She was equally attempting to correct herself, but in that moment Harry saw that she had somehow lost her blonde hair as well as, strangely enough, the same face as before. If it weren't for her clothes Harry would have assumed it was someone else.

When his vision finally returned to normal he noticed in place of her short blonde locks, long wavy brown hair and exceptional bright blue eyes now graced her features. Upon seeing her entire face Harry quickly recognised her as the girl he had passed in Diagon Alley earlier. He raised his eyebrow in confusion. How did she get here?

It was the way she looked at him in equal parts shock and confusion as he was viewing her which made Harry realise his hood had fallen. She could see his face.

Before he could panic, Harry woke up to the reality of their situation. He realised his wand was no longer in his hand. Glancing up he saw it laying a few feet from his outstretched hand on the floor, just out of reach. A crunch from the direction of the shop's entrance drew both his and the girl's attention. A fleeing Death Eater was stalking towards them through the dust left in the wake of the explosion. Turning to view her, Harry saw that her wand was also not in her hand. Their eyes met as they realised both of them were defenceless now.

Panic shone through her beautiful blue eyes. Harry's other hand lay by his side facing the approaching Death Eater. As the smoke cleared their attacker seized his opportunity and fired a spell at close range heading with sickening speed straight for them.

-HP-

Was he being attacked or was he dreaming? His struggling comprehension skipped along the waves of consciousness. He was moving. No, he could feel himself moving. Everyone around him was moving and he was still. Slowly by slowly he saw sparks fly over him. Noises began blaring through to his ears. He wasn't dreaming.

"Nevi…." Someone said.

'Huh?' His eyes focused.

"Neville!" Someone screamed. His ears came back to him. It was Emilia. She was in trouble, frantic. Reality hit with absolute certainty. All of a sudden he knew he'd been hit with something. His ringing ears came to and his comprehension swiftly followed.

"I'm okay, I'm alright." He asserted. He was behind the counter, propped up against the wall. Someone was lying face down on the ground a few feet away from him. Closer to him were Emilia and Valamando shooting spells over the counter top. Emilia had a small cut on her forehead. His wand was lying on the floor near him. Gripping it, he rose anew next to his companions.

"What happened?" he exclaimed as he quickly accustomed to the immediate battle. He managed to poke his head over the counter only to see a spell rocket right at him from near the front door.

Valamando and Emilia both pulled him back down to their cover. "Watch it Nev! You were hit with some kind of curse. You were babbling and confused." Said Emilia over the penetrating noise of battle, "we dragged you back here…" A spell impacted above showering the small remnants of the wall all over them. "But we managed to get ourselves pinned down in the process." Emilia finished as Valamando hastily tried to repair the damage to his wall. Neville could tell he was torn between defending the shop and repairing it: his life's work on the line.

Entering the fray, Neville immediately started looking for options. Before he could enact anything concrete two Death Eater hurried into the cramped shop and took cover behind the opposing table to the counter. They immediately flipped it, scattering the plants atop, seeking to convert it to cover and began throwing spells. Seeing his plants thrown to the floor Valamando lost any thought of pause and started bombarding the Death Eaters with reckless abandon.

"Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!"

"WAIT!" Neville and Emilia yelled, hastily pulling him down moments before multiple spells impacted the wall right where he'd been.

"-Reducto!" Neville shouted aiming the spell outside, hopefully delaying any further back up. As he stood though and took in the state of the shop an idea began to form in his head.

"Okay, I need you to shield me for a second." The two looked at him with confusion but they knew this wasn't the time to question it. Standing and covering him, Neville leaned to the side took his time and fired. After a few seconds of shielding nothing happened.

"What was that, you missed?" Valamando exclaimed, as they congregated once more behind the counter.

"Did I?" Just as he said that they all heard a piercing scream almost shatter the still remaining window. Neville quickly cast a protection jinx on all of them that he'd learnt when on his first day. Comprehension quickly dawned on both of their faces.

"You hit the Arachnicaid!" They both half asked half exclaimed at the same time.

And it was working. Neville peered over the countertop to see the two Death Eaters stumbling out from behind their cover grabbing their heads in dazed confusion.

Not wasting his opportunity Neville cast, "Stupefy, Stupefy!" He hit both of the hapless men, who slumped to the ground with an unwavering finality.

At this point the spells had ceased coming through the window and the blue robes of the Aurors were flocking by outside. Neville caught himself on the counter top as his legs unexpectedly wobbled beneath him.

"Woah, easy Neville," Emilia said as she came up behind him and took a hold of his arm. "We don't know what you were hit with yet. Let's take it easy." While still hearing her yet ignoring her concern Neville gazed intently into her eyes. Not entirely aware of his own actions, he stretched out his hand and touched the cut on her forehead. She withdrew at the touch, but quickly softened to him. Standing there leaning against the counter together the two of them turned to view the damage done. The tell-tale signs of avid spell fire had stopped and a few people began re-emerging from their shelters. Fred and George came out of their shop and started helping where they could.

Then as if a thin layer of dry water splashed over him, Neville felt the wards drop. Healers, Aurors and ministry officials poured into the Alley from all directions aiding who they could.

The Alley was in ruins. Harry was right, Neville thought. There was no escaping this war. No sheltering from it. Shaking off his wobbly legs Neville stood up for himself once more, determined to face whatever was to come.

-HP-

In that moment, time seemed to slow drastically. Noise took a backseat as the sound of his intently beating heart dominated his hearing and then, several things happened at once. For the rest of his life Harry would never be able to fully explain why in this most desperate of moments he did this, but in response to her flash of panic, Harry winked, gave a reassuring smile and with a confidence he didn't know he possessed, summoned his new wand.

In the first moment the wand responded eagerly as it flew through the air towards his outstretched hand - simultaneously the spell impacted against a shield only a few feet from them, rebounding off towards its perpetrator. So shocked was the Death Eater at the failure of his curse he barely had time to move out of the way, let alone register what had gone wrong.

Finally, with his outstretched hand Harry caught his new wand, instantly whipped round whilst still on the floor and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

The blue spell erupted from his wand, moved swiftly through the air and struck his target point blank in the chest, throwing him back and knocking him out against the side wall.

Pure panting mixed with sheer relief filled the next few seconds as his mind raced to catch up with what had just happened. Harry looked over to see his companion equally as shaken with their situation, staring intently at the downed Death Eater. Being careful to cover his face once more, Harry stood and approached him cautiously. Thankfully he was out cold.

From his current position at the front of the shop Harry looked up to survey the damage done. Diagon Alley would always hold a special place in his memory as his first glimpse of the surreptitious magical world. It was a place of dreams that had captured his heart as soon as he had laid eyes on it. He remembered seeing magic literally buzzing through the air animating the inanimate to do such wondrous things and giving him his first taste of the magical world.

Now though, the only thing Harry could taste was burning. Half of the alley was destroyed. There wasn't a building left standing that didn't have a besmirching scorch mark or gaping gash maimed into it. And that was if they were lucky. Every building had at least had their windows blown out; Florian Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour was still on fire; half of Madam Malkins had been torn down: you could literally see through into her shop where the wall had been; and smoke was pouring from inside Ollivander's to the extent that Harry could only guess at the damage within.

When he was a child he had stepped into the wizarding world an excited, eager and curious young wizard. From that moment on, his life had changed forever. He was now standing 5 years later looking at the battle tarnished ruins of a world he hoped would be his exile from a life of conflict. How wrong he was.

The battle was over. Aurors were rounding up as many remaining Death Eaters as possible: those who hadn't portkeyed away lay either unconscious or unable to. Those of the public and Order who remained behind were tending to the wounded or attempting to extinguish the fires.

Harry was searching for Remus from his spot in the opening of the shop when a wave of magic unexpectedly washed over him. Just as he was wondering what it was he turned around to check on the girl who had battled with him only to discover she was gone. The shop was a wreck, inside and out, and she was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it!" Harry said out loud. 'She saw me', was all that shot through his mind.

Looking back up into the alley, a frantic Remus came into view from behind the smoke of Ollivander's. He was no doubt searching for Harry and rushing around the alley doing so. Before Harry had make a noise to get his attention Remus caught Harry's eye. Harry quickly nodded to him and gestured to the portkey on his chest. Following Remus' look of absolute relief and a nod of desperate approval, Harry nodded in return. He turned towards the inside of the shop once more and summoned his cloak with his outstretched hand. Luckily, the mother had left it behind before she had gone through the fireplace. The instant harry caught it he pulled his arm to his chest, activated the portkey and left a smoking Diagon Alley after one of the more unexpected adventures of his life.