August 1st, 1991
1:01 PM
~Diagon Ally~
Harriet was bored out of her mind. After the boy, Draco, had left she had very little to do. Her new wardrobe was not done yet and, as a consequence, the young girl was still standing and getting measured for some odd reason.
Harriet was just about at the end of her wits when the lady, Madam Malkin, strutted into the room, levitating several clothing packs behind her.
"Alright, now that's you done as well dearie," The lady said as she shrunk the packages so that Harriet can fit them into her pocket.
"Thanks ma'am," Harriet said, ducking her head respectfully.
Madam Malkin beamed, "You're most welcome my dear!"
Harriet nodded once more before she walked out of the store.
She sighed in relief, 'Finally,' she thought happily, 'All I need to do now, is find the Potters and Henry and then go get my wan-'
"HARRY!"
Harriet whirled around and was surprised to see her brother sitting by the ice cream stand with their… parents.
Alright then.
James and Lily smiled hesitantly at her, as she made her way towards them. Obviously they were still uncomfortable around her.
'Good,' Harriet thought viciously, 'They deserve to be uncomfortable after everything I had to go through.'
Harriet had barely started to take a seat before the hyperactive ball of sunshine that was her brother began to pester her with chatter.
"Woah, woah, Henry, calm down!" She said, bemused, as her brother settled down, smiling sheepishly.
"Now," started Harriet as she began to eat her ice cream. Mm. Chocolate and chocolate fudge. Henry knew her too well, "What were you saying?"
Henry perked up, "Oh right, I met Ron today!"
Harriet's spoon faltered slightly on the way to her mouth. Luckily, nobody noticed
"Oh?" She said as she shoved another piece of ice cream and fudge into her mouth, "Is that so?" She asked, her speech muffled a bit by the dessert in her mouth.
The boy nodded brightly, "Mhm! He had his whole family with him! They were buying books last time I saw them!"
"Oh…" Harriet said feebly.
It's not like she hated or didn't like the Weasleys, on the contrary actually, she liked them and liked spending time with some members of the family, (mainly the twins and Ginny and maybe even Percy whenever she felt like she wanted to discuss books-), but Ron was never a favorite of hers.
He wasn't exactly rude, but he was a bit too blunt for his own good. (He certainly hadn't won her favor when he called her 'weird' to her face.) And well, it probably never ended well for any of them whenever Harry and Ron were in the same vicinity.
It took her a while to realize that her brother was still talking and she immediately snapped out of the confines of her own mind.
"I'm sorry what was that?" She asked her twin sheepishly.
Henry was looking at her in slight concern, "I said you were looking a bit spacey." He leaned a bit towards her in his chair, "Are you okay?"
Harriet smiled slightly in response, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought." She looked at her brother when he made an unconvinced noise, "Honest. Don't worry about me." She ruffled his hair for good measure.
He made a noise of irritation as he attempted to fix his hair in vain. He was smiling nonetheless.
August 1st, 1991
1:20 PM
~Diagon Ally~
They sat for about 20 more minutes, chattering aimlessly about nothing in particular until their parents decided it was time to go.
On the way to Ollivanders, they stopped several times to buy parchment paper, ink, and some new quills along with a beautiful snowy owl for Harriet.
Finally, they entered Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. It was a narrow, shabby looking shop that had a single wand laying on a faded, dusty purple cushion in an equally dusty window.
A tinkling bell rang somewhere inside the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single spindly, dusty chair.
Harriet and Henry felt as though they and entered an extremely strict library where no one was allowed to speak or even breath.
Henry leaned towards Harriet, "This place is giving me the creeps." He muttered.
Harriet snorted softly, careful not to make too much noise, "Agreed."
"Good afternoon," said a soft voice somewhere on Harriet's right. Harriet jumped a bit violently and whirled around only to be met with a pair of silvery, pale eyes.
"Oh…" the mystery man said, "I'm sorry," He tilted his head a bit, "I did not mean to startle you."
Harriet put a hand on her chest as she took slow breaths to calm down. She saw Henry do the same out of the corner of her eye, although he was doubled over on his knees.
Lily and James turned around to greet the man, their politeness overcoming their concern for their children.
"Hello, Mr. Ollivander," Said James extending his hand for the man to firmly shake, "It's been a while."
The man didn't even smile, "It has indeed. I still remember selling you your wand as though it was just yesterday, James Potter. Mahogany. Eleven Inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration." The man turned to Lily, as James smirked and patted the wand holster on his forearm.
"Lily Evans, although I suppose you are called Lily Potter now, ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of Willow. Nice for charm work." Lily beamed brightly and patted her robe pocket.
The man turned to the Potter Twins as if he was just noticing them for the first time, "And I see you have two wonderful children in here, as well. " He moved closer to Harriet, and the girl just wished he would blink. Those silver, almost milky, eyes were creepy.
"Tell me young lady," He said, "Which is your wand hand?"
Harriet blinked, "Umm… I'm ambidextrous."
Mr. Ollivander's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Interesting, very interesting. Very few wizards can use both hands young lady, you are turning out to be quite special indeed," the man then turned to Henry, "Ahh, and the famous Boy-who-lived. Tell me, my dear boy, which is your wand hand?"
Henry blinked in a similar manner to his sister and it was quite obvious he was a bit confused and overwhelmed by what was happening, "Ummmm, I'm left handed?"
Mr. Ollivander nodded as though he expected that all along, "Not as rare as ambidextrous wizards but still quite special."
"Alright, young lady hold out both arms. That's it." He measured Harriet from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head.
As he finished measuring up Harriet, and started moving to Henry, Mr. Ollivander started speaking, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. and Ms. Potter. 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 phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
Mr. Ollivander moved away from Henry, flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes, all while leaving the tape measure, which was measuring between Henry's nostrils, to do all the work by itself.
Ollivander nodded seemingly to himself, as Henry cast his amused parents a quick, uncertain glance, before the man spoke, "That will do," He said as the measuring tape crumpled into a heap on the floor.
"Right then, young Mr. Potter," said Ollivander as he grabbed a wand, "Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible . Just take it and give it a wave," He said handing Henry the wand but before the boy could even attempt to flick it, Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand from his hand almost at once.
"Maple and Phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try –"
Henry tried but he had barely raised the wand before it was snatched from his hand, yet again, by Mr. Ollivander.
"No, no- Here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."
Henry tried, and tried, but he had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands he pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed.
Henry cast another uncertain look at his parents, which was met with looks of amusement laced with light encouragement. He looked at his sister, and was shocked to find that she was smiling. Even more shocking, her smile reached her eyes, which was insane 'cause that never happens, and she gave him a small nod of encouragement.
Looking back at Mr. Ollivander, who was pulling a quite long dusty box out of the shelf, Henry felt determined.
"Could it be- quite strange indeed- I have heard you humming ever since the Potters entered- unusual-" The man kept on muttering as he made his way back to the family.
"Well," Mr. Ollivander said, with quite a bit of uncertainty, "How about we try this one? Quite the unusual combination but still very powerful,"
And with that, Mr. Ollivander pulled a lightly colored wand, "Alder and dragon heartstring. 13 1/2 inches. Unyielding. Would you give it a swish for me, young man?" Said Mr. Ollivander as he handed the wand to Henry, butt first.
Henry reached for the wand, already feeling it humming with magic. It was as if it was specifically made… for him.
He grasped the wand tightly and felt warmth spread all over his body. It was like dipping into a warm bathtub. Quite surprising but at the same time… Pleasant.
He gave it a simple swish, and golden and red sparks flew from the tip of the wand.
Mr. Ollivander was clapping excitedly, along with his parents. Harriet was clapping politely and bit more reservedly than the other three, but he saw something like happiness and satisfaction in her usually fathomless eyes.
"Excellent! Very excellent, young Mr. Potter!" Mr. Ollivander all but cried, "This wand is capable of many great things. Use it well young man."
Henry grinned as Mr. Ollivander put the wand back in its box and wrapped with brown paper.
"Now," said Mr. Ollivander, "It's young, Ms. Potter's turn."
Harriet's smile turned nervous.
~25 minutes later~
Just like her brother, Harriet had an unusually high pile of wands on the spindly chair, however, it seemed like none of the wands liked her or even wanted to pair with her.
Slowly, Harriet began to grow dejected. What if she never found a wand? What if all of them continued to reject her? Maybe she wasn't actually a proper witch, maybe she was a squib, maybe her parents and the Dursleys were right, she was a freak, a nobody, who would never be special and would only serve to be a disappointment to herself and those around her.
As the pile grew larger, James and Lily grew more and more worried. It was quite unusual for someone to not have a wand by now. Merlin, some of the wands were on the floor due to the sheer amount of wands that were tried.
"What do you think James?" Muttered Lily worriedly to her husband.
"It's a bit worrying," He murmured back, "but I'm sure she'll find her wand…" He winced as another wand fizzled and died out, "Eventually."
Mr. Ollivander was the only one not concerned. He was actually quite ecstatic!
"Difficult customer, eh? Don't worry young lady," Mr. Ollivander told the dejected 11 year old as he explored more dusty shelves at the back of the small shop, "We'll find your wand,"
Finally, the old man paused at a certain shelf, "Hmm, could it be?" He said to himself.
Harriet was startled out of her depressing thoughts as Mr. Ollivander all but stuck a wand in her face.
"Try this one, young lady. Holly and Phoenix feather, 11 inches, nice and supple. Go on, try it out."
Harriet nervously grasped the wand and all of a sudden, all her doubts and nervousness just ebbed away. She felt strangely warm, and could just feel her magic hum contently within her.
Already knowing that this was the wand, Harriet gave the wand a firm swish and very bright green and silver sparks flew from the tip, in a similar manner to her brother's (if a bit brighter).
Harriet smiled in silent relief,'I am a witch after all!' She thought happily, 'I don't have to go back to the Dursleys!'
Before she could even start truly drowning in her relief, Henry almost bowled her over with a fierce hug. Harriet tensed a bit, before she forced herself to relax. It's fine. It's just Henry. It's safe. She's safe.
"I'm so glad that you finally found your wand, sis!" He all but yelled in her ear as he finally released Harriet.
Harriet grinned back, "I'm glad too! ...And very relieved." She finished as an afterthought.
Henry beamed brightly as Harriet returned her wand to Mr. Ollivander for him to wrap it just like her brother's.
"Curious, very curious," Mr. Ollivander was muttering.
Normally, Harriet would leave him be, but sometimes her curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me, Mr. Ollivander, but what's curious?"
Mr. Ollivander looked steadily back at her, as the rest of the Potters gave him similar, inquiring looks.
"I have made and sold many wands in my career, Ms. Potter, and it is quite unprecedented for a phoenix to willingly surrender two feathers at once when they rarely even surrender one." The wand-maker paused at the Potters' confused looks.
"However, there was a phoenix that surrendered two feathers this century. One of the feathers, Ms. Potter, went into your own wand," Harriet glanced at her, now wrapped, wand, "And the other, went into the wand that would soon choose You-Know-Who." The Potters gasped melodramatically.
Mr. Ollivander closed his eyes, and then opened them to look steadily at Harriet, "You are capable of many great feats, Ms. Potter. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did many great things. Terrible, yes, but great." The man gave her a significant look as he straightened up to look evenly at the elder Potters.
"I believe that will be 7 galleons each, Lord and Lady Potter,"
August 2nd, 1991
12:39 AM
~Potter Manor~
Harriet's eyes were, for some reason, transfixed on the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried, sleep seemed to evade her.
She sighed in irritation, 'Great.' She thought sarcastically, in irritation, and got up from bed.
"Might as well," she muttered distractedly.
Before they left the story, Harriet demanded that she get her own wand holster, (Henry naturally followed her lead saying that, 'It would look cool!'). The Potter parents had exchanged a look and shrugged.
The Potter parents also allowed their children to keep their wands with them. They didn't even attempt to warn them against using their wands before school (which was suspicious).
Sooooo, naturally, Harriet decided to make her own research. Turns out that the Trace doesn't officially take place until they set foot in Hogwarts. Then, and only then, they shall be identified as proper underage witches and wizards and also then does the Trace take effect.
During summer, the school wards notifies the Ministry of Magic of the student leaving so that the Trace could be reactivated as soon as school lets out.
Which means that Harriet had plenty of time to practice spells considering the fact that she's not a school student yet, and thus, the Trace doesn't apply!
However, given that she was just an 11 year old with no previous magical schooling, chances of her mastering any spells at all before the school term were very little.
But damn, if she wasn't gonna at least try.
Harriet sighed as she grasped her wand and inspected it carefully. Holly and phoenix feather. Apparently, a phoenix feather whose brother lies in Voldemort's bloody wand!
"Great." Harriet muttered bitterly, "Just what I needed, another connection to flipping Voldemort!" She absentmindedly rubbed her lightning scar in frustration. The scar went through her right eyebrow, and had subjected her to endless teasing from her year-mates, cousin, and lovely aunt and uncle.
She did like it though. It was the only thing within her entire appearance that looked cool or even remotely different from her general plainness.
It was still a connection to the man who ruined her life.
Harriet sighed in irritation.
Figures, this would be her life. She smiled humorlessly and began practicing the wand movements for one of the most simple charms wizards have succeeded in creating, all while muttering the incantation.
'Lumos.'