"Alright, Harry, we're going to get you a wand." Hagrid said, and Harry frowned.
"Do I need a wand to do magic?" Harry asked, and Hagrid smiled in return.
" Yer just a small tyke, and that's the truth. A wand's a great thing, and we teach all kids how to use one. Great Wizards, like Dumbledore, can do magic without one, but it's harder and they can do less. Treat yer wand with care, and don't let anything happen to it." Hagrid said in his powerful voice. Harry hoped that no one would notice them. "An here we are, Ollivanders, my boy. Jest step right in!" Hagrid motioned, and Harry stepped into the weird shoppe that resembled an old time dry goods store. A counter, and boxes upon boxes behind it. Looking straight out of one of those westerns that Dudley used to watch.
A weird man with white hair and bright blue, bulging eyes was behind the counter, weighing something unseen when Harry stepped through the door. He looked up at Harry's approach, and asked, "May I help you?"
"'e's here to get his first wand, Ollie." Hagrid said, and Harry had to wonder exactly how many people dared call such a powerful person "ollie". It was possible Hagrid was the only one.
"Where's your wand?" Harry Potter asked Hagrid politely.
Hagrid made a show of checking that the door was closed, and said quietly and soberly, "I was kicked out of Hogwarts. They... they broke my wand." Harry stilled, his eyes going wide, as he remembered the magic that Hagrid had done at the isle.
"The wand chooses the wizard." Ollivander said, as if the awkward conversation had never happened. What's your wand arm?"
"I'm... right handed? " Harry said, the question in his voice enough to make Ollivander nod firmly.
"Muggleborn too, I suppose."
"Dudley Dursley, pleasure to meet you." Harry said firmly, his hand stretched out for a handshake, that Ollivander greeted with a firm grip of his own.
"Are you now..." Ollivander said with cold eyes that seemed like they might stare through Harry's very soul. Harry eventually decided that he liked this man rather better than the affable stupidity that was Hagrid. "No matter, no matter. Although, boy, you might want to purchase a hat. That scar's rather distinctive you know."
"Magic Marker. I put it on, and it won't wash off for another couple days."
"Still, do you really want to be mistaken for Potter?"
Harry sighed, and said, "I suppose not. I just don't like hats - they make it hard to hear."
Ollivander laid box after box in front of Harry, looking at him with a strange look that got stranger as he went. "This isn't working." he said crossly, after what seemed the fiftieth box.
"If I don't find a wand, what happens then? Will I stay home, then, and not go to a Magic school?" Harry asked quietly, thinking how this would make it easier for everyone. He flushed slightly, thinking about how naughty it felt to use the word magic.
Hagrid interrupted his musings with a forced laugh, "Don't be silly! No wizard's ever not been able to find a wand!"
The next wand exploded when Harry touched it, and he snarled, "So much for that one."
Ollivander looked at him impassively, and said, "I'll need to put that core into a new shell, I suppose."
With a longsuffering sigh, Ollivander draws out seven types of wood, ranging from Rowan to Holly to exotic Ironwood. "Here, we'll try it this way. It's unreliable, and most people find their wands quicker the other, but you seem a strange sort."
"What should I do?" Harry asked.
"Close your eyes, and run your hand over each of the woods. Tell me exactly what you think they're like."
Harry's hand rested first on the yew, "tricksy, smart, intelligent, disloyal."
Harry's hand rested next on the holly, "wow, this is bright, and quick, and happy."
"That'll be enough, young man." Ollivander said with a smile. "I think I know just the thing."
He brought out three boxes and Harry suppressed a sigh, as he had really long since lost interest.
On the third box, the Holly wand sent out blue and green sparks that flew around the room like fish in a school.
"That's the one, Harry!" Hagrid said.
"If you can leave us, for a moment, sir?" Ollivander asked quietly.
"O' course I can!" Hagrid said, before exiting the store.
"That wand looks the twin of another I sold, ages ago. If I'm not mistaken, it's the one that gave you that scar." Ollivander said firmly, looking for the moment of comprehension in Harry's eyes, and then swiftly turned away. "25 galleons, and that's a bargain."
Harry paid without saying a word, and left the store lost in thought. Absently, he purchased a seaman's cap before allowing Hagrid to take him to his next destination.
[a/n: leave a review! Ollivander isn't as daft as he looks.]