Author's Note: Hi everyone, here is the next chapter. I am sorry it's a week late, we unexpectedly had to travel to bring my mother down to stay with us, and it's been a bit crazy getting her settled. I hope to post again next week, but given that it's Holy Week and my first job is working as a worship director for a church, it's a hectic week. Lots going on in this chapter, enjoy. MNF
Chapter 18:
Wands
1 November 1995
The first batches of wands and fitters were arriving today, and Amelia had been up most of the night. She had too much nervous energy to burn off, and even Sirius and his stamina wasn't much help; not that she'd hadn't enjoyed his efforts.
A fake arrival plan had been released, the date the same but the time and method of arrival and even the place of the fittings were wrong. In reality, she trusted only four members of the DMLE staff to know the truth: Tonks, Kingsley, Gawain Robards, and Rufus Scrimgeour - the head of the department. She had worked with these people for years and knew their feelings on the changes needed within the Ministry to be prepared for the twenty-first century. Teams of two would meet the single wand fitter and their cases at the airport -yes, Muggle transportation was deemed the safest - and bring them to the Ministry building in Muggle vehicles. The wands would be taken to the DMLE so they and members of the Minister's office could be fitted. She would then call the department heads in to be fitted, and then each department. Tomorrow and the day after were for St Mungos and the Hogwarts staff. For safety, the fitters and their wands would be staying at Sirius's home this week.
"Amy, Luv, you've done what was best. They will arrive at the Ministry on time and without any hoopla. Their flights land before six, and you'll be at the Ministry by seven. There aren't many people who are even at the Ministry at that hour."
"I know, but I also accept that people are desperate. Many want wands immediately and don't understand why we can't just import more. Desperate people do desperate things."
"Amy, you've chosen well from your Aurors, and they can calm a crowd if needed. You're going to succeed, Moony and I helped you with your planning after all. We are experts at this."
"Does your ego know any bounds?" she asked as she snuggled into him. "I seem to remember many detentions served by you and your cohorts."
"Water under the bridge. Many failures taught us much," Sirius said before kissing her crown.
The rekindling of their relationship was beneficial for them both. In the years since Susan had gone to Hogwarts, Amelia had thrown herself into her work and climbed the ladder within the DMLE; however, she didn't expect to reach this level yet. From the beginning, she knew Fudge didn't like her, undoubtedly due to her avoidance of bribes of any kind. Her opinion of most of the pureblood crowd that she felt were Death Eaters didn't earn her any points with the man either. Cornelius's hands were red from all the money passed through them to help keep such men out of jail. Thankfully it was a moot point now. So obsessed with catching these men, Amelia had even ignored Susan when she was home for her summer holiday, ceding her welfare to Gloria Abbott. With them under the same roof, Amy felt her relationship with her niece had grown. That she had someone to love and who loved her back reminded her that life was more than a job.
Sirius was thrilled with where his life had landed. The years in Azkaban created atrophy in his body and mind, but his soul held on to the love he'd had for his godson, now son. It was only this love that allowed him to remain sane. Now, he lived with his son, his best friend, and the only woman he'd ever loved. His love for Amy never died, although he questioned why she'd never come to help free him. That mystery was solved with the charms Dumbledore had placed on the file and the lies he'd told. He forgave her when he understood she had no knowledge that he was there without a trial. Sirius was also thrilled he could continue the work his grandfather and great-aunt had started.
"Sirius, where are we going? I mean, with our relationship," Amy asked, changing the subject so quickly it made Sirius's head spin.
"Amy, it can go anywhere you want," he said gently. "If you want to continue as private lovers, I'm fine with that. If you want to marry, I will happily do so. My only request is that we stay private until after the elections and the Wizengamot body is set. We need a neutral or progressive-leaning body to make the necessary changes. If we announce before then, it could foil that coming to fruition."
"Do you mean it? So you could see us married?"
"Of course I do, Amy; I love you. I was prepared to ask you before that horrible Halloween."
"But I didn't help you after your arrest."
"I've told you time, and again, I don't blame you for that," Sirius stated. "Old Dumbledore had a plan, which involved me being out of the way. Remus was also affected by the old meddler's charms, and I don't blame him. I have put Azkaban and everything related to it in a box in my mind and locked it away. I very much enjoy the present too much to dwell on the past."
"You're enjoying the present," Amy said seductively before kissing him.
"Yes, yes I am," he muttered between kisses.
"I've got twenty minutes; wanna kill some time?" Amy asked, and Sirius answered wordlessly by pulling her on top of him.
ITWAU ITWAU ITWAU
Both planes landed on time, and Kingsley had the two wand fitters, their small cases of wands - their elves would be bringing more to them as needed - and the other three Aurors in his magically expanded automobile headed into central London before much of the city was even waking up. They arrived at the Ministry at seven-forty-two, and Amelia Bones had her new wand before eight a.m. After that, she'd undergo the vetting process herself, being checked by Isla Butterfield, Canadian Wandmaker, and Kingsley Shacklebolt.
First, Isla did a magical scan to check for any spells which might have changed Amy's appearance. None were found, but it was good to know the spells would work. Of course, the real test would be on Tonks, as Amy had arranged for her to use her Metamorphmagus skills on the tester. Next, a single drop of Polyjuice Reversal Potion was given to ensure that she'd not taken the altering potion to jump the line. Again, Amy passed. A short process later, Amy held her new wand. She liked how the Mahogany and Jackalope Antler wand felt in her hand and thought the delicate carvings along the handle, butterflies and ladybirds in flight, were quite beautiful.
When Isla checked Tonks, she couldn't quite get a reading on her as it seemed that her magic was in significant fluctuation. Tonks had been asked to change to her natural state - brown hair, short stature, brown eyes - for the fitting. Even the other Aurors were surprised to see her this way and realized she looked far more like her mother than they knew. Isla furrowed her brow and did the scan again. There wasn't anything wrong, per se, but it was odd. Looking at Amy, who gave the wandmaker a nod, Isla finished her scan. The Polyjuice reversal did not reveal anything, so the wand fitting went on with Amy's further permission. It was good to know that any ability to change one's appearance would be registered with the spell her Aurors would use to ensure people were who they said they were.
"My old wand was Rowan and Unicorn tail," Tonks told them before either fitter could ask. Mr Ollivander had come with his grandson to help, and he remembered her first fitting.
"Be prepared; her magic can be quite expressive," he said. The first wand they handed her was willow and mermaid scales.
"Mermaid scales?" Tonks said. "I didn't know that was a thing."
"Might not be around here," the woman from Australia said, "but it's quite common for us." Tonks gave it a small flick, and brilliant, multicoloured sparks flew from her wand.
"Wow, it feels even better than my old one," she said delightedly.
"That is a wand for someone with strong skills in Transfiguration. Given that your aura is a thousand colours at once, I thought that might be the case with you," the fitter explained.
"Aura?"
"Yes, I can see magical auras; it makes my job even easier," Isla explained.
"Wicked," Tonks exclaimed. "And just to clarify for you, I'm a metamorphmagus," she said before turning her nose into a duckbill and giving herself kaleidoscope hair.
"That explains so much. Now, I have the rest of your department to fit, so if you're happy, move along."
"I'm thrilled, thank you," she said, laying her coins on the table. Tonks knew that it would be costly for the Ministry to replace all the wands of its workers, so it was decided among the Aurors that they'd pay for themselves.
ITWAU ITWAU ITWAU
"Mollywobbles, I'm home," Arthur said as he walked through the front door. It had felt good to Apparate home for the first time in months. He held his new wand in his hand, and what a beautiful wand it was.
"Oh, Arthur, you came through the front door!" she exclaimed as Molly greeted her husband. "What a lovely wand!"
"Isn't it just," Arthur praised. "It's Poplar with Kneazle whisker. Made in a place called Nova Scotia or New Scotland. The woman who fit me said that Poplar works best for those with clear moral vision and that Kneazle whisker is excellent for my career as it will react strongly against people who are trying to be deceptive."
"That's brilliant. What do these markings on the sides mean?"
"That's a pictorial language that the first peoples of Canada use," Arthur explained. "The wand maker who created this is a native Canadian or a member of the first peoples, and it means 'strength of soul'."
"Arthur, that is certainly you. I'm so pleased to have a wand in the house again. I would suggest that you strengthen the roof," Molly said. "We have a very upset ghoul in the attic. He's been getting rained on recently."
"I'll get to it after dinner. Where are the children?"
"Ginny, Fred, and George are all at Harry's, well, Sirius's place. Ginny had two classes today, and Sirius wanted to discuss something with the boys. Bill was in and then out again. He's moving into his own apartment this week," she explained.
"And Ron?"
"He's in his room, where he's been since May. He emerges to scarf down food and then returns. He smells atrocious, as does his room. What are we going to do with him?"
"I'm not sure," Arthur answered. "According to Minerva, the school won't be opening in January; there is simply too much to do to secure the building and deal with the budget losses. So she can't even move in until next spring, at the earliest."
"What are we going to do with him until then?"
"We are going to make him get a job. They're looking for people to work in the maintenance department at the Ministry; there must be something he's qualified for there," Arthur said sadly. He sat down in his favourite chair and sighed. "I never thought we'd raise such a lazy boy." Molly sat on his lap and kissed him gently before laying her head on his shoulder. Within ten minutes, Arthur was asleep, and Molly eased herself off his lap to go finish the chocolate cake she'd made for dinner.
A half-hour later, Ron's nose led him downstairs. The delicious smells of Molly's cooking had filled the house, and he knew his siblings would be arriving home soon. He would have enjoyed seeing Harry, but he didn't want to see him bad enough to do schoolwork. He couldn't believe the twins were entertaining the idea of going to classes so they'd have start-up funds for their pranking business.
Seeing his sleeping father in his favourite chair, Ron had a chuckle. The old man was certainly not as spry as he'd once been. When Ron was little, Arthur had been a great dad, taking him flying and playing hide-and-seek around the farm. Then there was his remarkable shed full of weird Muggle stuff. His dad was great when he was little; now, he was as much of a nag as his Mum.
Then he saw it, the shiny new wand his father must have gotten at work. It was all anyone was talking about - wands were coming back to Great Britain. Ron didn't think it was fair that specific departments within the Ministry and healers and stuff at St Mungo's were getting wands first. What about the students? Shouldn't they get their wands first to get back to school? Anything to get away from his parents and their nagging.
Ron lifted it, feeling a sort of prickle on his skin. He didn't immediately recognize the wood, and his magic swirled just beneath his skin oddly. Whatever was in this wand was unusual. Ron aimed the strange wand to create sparks. He did that alright. He lit the sofa aflame with the purple sparks which flew outward.
"Augamenti!" Ron called out, hoping to put the fire out, but the wand wouldn't agree with him. "Augamenti!"
Molly came out of the kitchen and, seeing the flames took the quilt off the back of the couch and began beating the fire down. Having been awakened by Ron's yelling and Molly's cursing her son, his stupidity, and the flames, Arthur ripped the wand from his son's hands and performed a fire suppression charm that Ron didn't even know existed.
"What in the name of Merlin's baggy Y-fronts made you pick up my wand?" Arthur roared.
"I wanted to see if it would work for me," Ron replied sheepishly. "I just cast some sparks, like at Ollivander's."
"I would have allowed you to have a try, but it would have been outside where no damage could be done. Also, this wand is created from a Poplar wood from Canada that is quite loyal to its owner. The core is a Kneazle whisker and will root out the user's intention. Clearly, your intention was something that irritated the core, Ronald."
"Nothing is fair anymore," he whinged. It was enough to make Arthur explode.
"Ronald Billius Weasley, I want you to understand something: the world does not revolve around you. You smell vile, as does your room. You lay about all day, reading nothing but old magazines about the Chudley Cannons. You have not lifted a finger to help your mother with household chores, nor have you shown any interest in bettering yourself. Your sister and brothers are all making the best of the situation. I have been waiting for you to step up and make the best of the situation, but you have not. You will have a job in three weeks, or you will no longer be living in my house."
ITWAU ITWAU ITWAU
"Something on your mind, son?" Sirius asked as he and Harry walked inside the full and lush greenhouses. There was an icy rain falling, and it was a bit too much for Sirius to walk outside.
"Just processing visiting Godric's Hollow last night," Harry answered. "It was more difficult than I'd expected."
"I understand," Sirius said. "Having not been back since that night, I found it overwhelming too. I can't believe the house is exactly as it looked when I came to find you. Why would they, whoever they are, want to keep it like that. James and Lily would be mortified to know some of the things they kept private are out in the open like that."
"Can we go back and remove some of it?" Harry asked.
"You own the house; you can do anything you want with it."
"I think I want to tear it down, take down the enchantments, and turn it into a community garden, a kid's play yard, or something useful. Mum would have wanted that." Sirius reached over and put a hand on his son's shoulder. They walked a bit further in silence.
"What else is weighing on you? Is it the wands? The fitters have offered to sell us wands as a thank you for housing them. Amelia has already taken them up to fit Susan and Hannah, and Hermione called home, and her parents gave their permission. We could be fitted too."
"We could, but we have our trip to San Francisco planned in a few weeks, and it's legal that way. I don't want anyone to think that we're getting special treatment because the Minister for Magic and the Chief Witch live in our house," Harry said with a smirk curling his lip.
"Harry, we always get special treatment regardless of who lives in our home," Sirius said. "We are rich and seemingly eligible. Being an unattached Lord has perks that can be enjoyable or annoying." Harry laughed, which put Sirius at ease.
"Awesome," Harry said while he laughed but did not sound amused. "Really, I want to enjoy our trip. It'll be just you, Remus, and me, just our little family unit. Although will I have a mum and stepsister down the line?"
"Perhaps? Maybe even more than a stepsister. You okay with that?"
"Yeah," Harry answered emphatically. "You're happy; Amy's awesome, and Susie has grown on me. I think I'd like to have a little brother or sister, although, given my age, I'd be more like the fun uncle."
"Susie, is it now?" Sirius said in his 'romance' voice - it was something he'd used when romancing girls in his Hogwarts years, according to Remus - and waggled his eyebrows.
"It's not like that," Harry said. "She asked us to call her Susie. I don't like her that way."
"I hate to pry, but I'm going to anyway. Is there a girl you fancy? I realize the dating opportunities are a bit low, but -"
"Pater, stop," Harry said. "There is someone I think I like that way, but it's complicated because she's living with us."
"Ah, Hermione," Sirius quickly said.
"How did you know?"
"Harry, if Susan isn't your type, then Hannah definitely wouldn't be. They're both very superficial. You are far too serious of a person for that. Ginny doesn't live with us, but I can't see you dating her; she still hero-worships you too much. Now I suppose you could like blokes, which is absolutely fine, but that would leave us with Neville."
"No, it's Hermione," Harry said, stopping Sirius's ramblings on possible relationships. "I think I first started feeling this way when she was with Viktor last year. Besides her having a boyfriend, the problem was that Ron liked her too. Thankfully that isn't an issue anymore."
"Then why haven't you made a move? Remus would be willing to drive you into the Muggle area to see a movie or go out for dinner."
"I know, it's just…what if it ruins our friendship. She's my best friend, and I can't imagine life without her, even if we aren't boyfriend and girlfriend."
"I can understand," Sirius said. "But, if you'll allow me to give you something to think about, what if it works? Friendship is the best way to build a good, lasting relationship. I think you're like your mum, she was wary of falling for your dad, but when she did, she fell hard. I'd give it a chance. Also, given how she looks at you, I'm fairly sure that she feels the same way."
"Really?" Harry said hopefully.
"Really. Now, I want to know how your classes are going. What have you learned from Maia this week?" The pair walked on, Harry telling Sirius everything going on in his life. Both felt wonderfully content.
