Two Sides of Me
Chapter Two: School Shopping
Dumbledore appeared where he needed to be; at the steps of Mahoutokoro, the wizarding school in Japan. He walked up the ornate steps and entered the palace, going down the halls, before arriving at the training grounds, where a large group of students were training rigorously, with the headmaster overseeing their training. The headmaster was about as old as Dumbledore, though he had neither beard nor hair, only a stone cold expression on his face as he observed his students.
Dumbledore approached him casually, a smiled on his face.
"Watashitachi ga saigo ni hanashite irai, shibaraku shite kita, kiru." (It's been a while since we last spoke, Kiru.) He greeted in Japanese.
The Japanese headmaster, Kiru, turned to Dumbledore and smirked, replying in his native language. "Danburudoa. Soshite, koko de watashi wa anata ga watashi no yūjō no tame ni jūbunde wa nai to omotta to omotte imashita." (Dumbledore. And here I was beginning to think that you considered me not good enough for your friendship anymore.)
Dumbledore chuckled. "Watashitachi ga wakai koro kara, anata wa itsumo watashi no yūjindeshita." (Please, you've always been a friend to me, ever since we were young.)
The Japanese headmaster laughed, before bowing.
"It is good to see you, old friend."
"You as well, Kiru." Dumbledore nodded, returning the bow.
Leaving the students to train on their own, the two headmasters walked the halls, talking about the old days.
"And do you remember when you helped me slay the ancient dragon that once threatened my school?" Kiru declared proudly, before laughing with pride. "One of our greatest accomplishments!"
"The best, indeed." Dumbledore chuckled, before frowning. "But I'm afraid that I'm not here to talk about the old days when we were young."
"Then why have you come?" The Japanese headmaster asked, arching a brow.
"I believe you've visited the Maelstrom residence?" Dumbledore inquired.
"…Yes, I have." He nodded, though with some hesitation.
"And am I to assume," Dumbledore went on, giving Kiru a stern look. "That you called the boy an 'abomination'?"
"I said no such thing!" Kiru quickly denied.
Dumbledore gave his friend a look that said 'don't lie to me'.
"Look, it may have slipped by accident," Kiru confessed.
"Was that necessary?" Dumbledore asked, a disappointed tone in his voice. "The boy may not be up to your standards, but he is only a child."
"If you saw what I saw, you wouldn't say that." Kiru declared.
Kiru became headmaster not just for his skills with the wand and magic, but also for his ability to look into people's hearts upon skin contact. All he'd have to do is shake ones hand and he would instantly know who they are, all the way down to their ancestry and their very thoughts. He would know everyone's secrets, leaving no one able to hide anything from him. The only ways one could avoid this is to wear gloves, but gloves are not allowed in the Japanese school of magic.
"As soon as I touched his hand, I saw something dark." Kiru continued. "In the place of the sweet young boy, I saw a vile being, pale skinned, dark hair and red eyes of a demon, looking at me with sharpened fangs and a wicked smile. Whatever possessed that boy, it's not human."
"Surely, it's not Maurice's fault." Dumbledore said, stroking his beard.
"I don't care if it's his fault or not." Kiru said. "Whatever it is that possesses him, I will not allow it to contaminate my school!"
"So he should suffer from something beyond his control?" Dumbledore glared at his friend, clearly disappointed. "I never thought you would be so prejudiced."
"Don't talk to me about prejudiced." Kiru growled. "You value the students in Gryffindor than the other houses."
There was silence between the two, and then Kiru spoke up.
"I assume you accepted him into Hogwarts?"
"I did." Dumbledore nodded. "I intend to help him where you gave up."
"If that's what you want, I won't stop you." Kiru sighed. "But I warn you as a friend; be wary. He is not to be taken lightly."
With a sigh, Dumbledore simply turned and aparated out of sight.
The next day, Maurice, Sarah and Dumbledore arrived in London, walking just outside the Leaky Cauldron.
"Is it truly necessary for you to accompany us, Albus?" Sarah asked quizzically.
"Of course it is." Dumbledore chuckled. "Someone must show you the way to Diagon Alley."
Proceeding, the trio went down an alley, stopping at a brick wall. Walking up to it, Dumbledore tapped three bricks up and two across from the trash can, then, to Maurice's amazement, the brick wall opened up into a large archway, revealing a whole other area assorted with shops and restaurants.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley, my boy."
"Wow!" Maurice was in absolute awe just looking at his surroundings.
"Everything you will need is on this list." Dumbledore pulled out a list and gave it to Sarah.
After looking it over, Sarah was baffled.
"What is all of this?!" She demanded. "These clothes, a cauldron, books, a wand? We can't afford all of this!"
"Fear not, my friend." Dumbledore assured, pulling out a large pouch of what sounded like coins. "This should be more than enough to get what you need."
Jiggling the pouch, Maurice could tell that there were a lot of coins inside.
"Can you make it on your own?" Dumbledore asked. "I would like a word with your aunt in private, if you don't mind."
Maurice looked up to his aunt, who nodded with approval. After agreeing to meet back at the same spot, near the lamp post, Maurice went off to do some shopping, the two adults stood in silence for a while, before Dumbledore decided to break the silence.
"He doesn't know, does he?"
"Of course he doesn't." Sarah grunted. "You made me swear never to tell him."
"I know it must be difficult to keep things bottled up," Dumbledore stroked his beard. "But you must understand-"
"That any knowledge has consequences." Sarah interrupted. "Why can't you stop making excuses and be honest for once?"
"Because if everyone knew, Maurice would be put in danger." Dumbledore countered. "I refuse to break my promise to Shiho."
Meanwhile…
Maurice walked down the cobblestone walkway, observing the various business establishments around him, at the people around him who were kind enough to give him directions to the shops he needed to get to. After getting the books, the robes and some of the equipment, all he had left to buy was the wand and a pet of his choosing. As he was walking, however, he was roughly bumped into by someone his age running, causing him to drop his belongings.
"Watch where you're goin' ya git!" The runner yelled, as he turned to run off.
But Maurice felt assaulted and stood up, making the bold choice to confront him.
"You're the one who needs to watch where you're going, you bull-headed brute!"
That proved to be a terrible mistake, as the boy turned sharply towards him, his grey eyes glaring daggers at him.
"What'd you say to me?" He demanded, walking up to Maurice menacingly, looking down at him.
Maurice was starting to regret his decision, as he stood there paralyzed with fear, unsure on how to react.
"I'm talking to you!" The boy yelled, his fist clenched.
Suddenly, he was pulled back by another boy with jet-black hair and hazel eyes.
"Shove off, Padfoot!" The hazel eyed boy scolded. "We haven't even gotten to Hogwarts and you're already starting a fight!"
"He started it, Prongs!" The grey eyed pointed accusingly at Maurice.
"You're the one who ran into me!" Maurice pointed out.
Before the boy called 'Padfoot' could respond, the boy called 'Prongs' pushed his friend back.
"You'll have to excuse my friend, mate; he can be a bit of a hothead." The 'Prongs' boy said, earning a huff from the 'Padfoot' boy. "Name's James, James Potter." He pointed a thumb to his friend. "He's Sirius Black. Don't let his appearance scare you, he's a good bloke." He then extended a hand to Maurice. "What's yours?"
Maurice was a bit hesitant to introduce himself to complete strangers, especially strangers he just met. However, he could see some genuine kindness in his eyes. So, he decided to try and open up.
"Maurice," He answered, shaking his hand. "Maelstrom."
"Maelstrom?" Sirius repeated, raising a brow. "What's a scrawny kid like you doin' with a name that badass?"
"Ease off, Padfoot." James elbowed his friend. "I think it sounds cool!"
Maurice only looked at them oddly, curious about the names they give themselves.
"Prongs? Padfoot?"
"Those are just nicknames, mate." James explained, looking Maurice up and down. "You don't look like you're from around here. Where're you from?"
"I'm from Japan."
"Wow, you're far from home, mate." James said, then looked at the bags Maurice was carrying. "Looks like you're almost done shoppin', eh?"
"Yes, I am." Maurice nodded, holding up a list. "All that's left is the wand and a pet."
"Would you like some help?" James offered. "We already finished our shopping, so we have time to give you a hand."
"Are you sure?" Maurice asked, unsure. "I wouldn't want to waste your time."
"Yeah, do we 'ave to, Prongs?" Sirius asked.
"Of course!" James smiled. "We'll just meet our other friends and let them know. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."
"Well," Maurice thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I could use the help."
"Great!" James smiled. "Just let us talk to our other friends and we'll get you that owl!"
The two friends left, leaving Maurice under the lamp post. Picking up the last of his things, he began his walk down the road again, before coming two more kids his age. One of them was tall and had black hair and eyes, while the other had red hair and green eyes. The red haired girl was laughing happily, while the black haired boy only smiled. Maurice guessed that they were friends, seeing how close they were.
He almost felt jealous.
Hoping to make more friends like he did earlier, he walked over to them, putting on his bravest face.
"Hello, there." He said as friendly as he can.
The red head turned to him and smiled.
"Oh hi there!" She said. "I've never seen you around here. Are you shopping for supplies as well?"
"Yes, I am." Maurice nodded.
"Looks like we're not the only ones looking for Hogwarts school supplies, Lily." The black-haired boy remarked, turning to Maurice.
"Sure looks like it, Severus." The red-haired girl called Lily agreed.
"Well, I'm almost done." Maurice chuckled. "All I need is my wand."
"Let us help!" Lily declared. "We just got our wands and we know the way there!"
"Are you sure?" Maurice asked, already feeling like he's wasting another person's time. "I'd hate to waste your time."
"It's no trouble really." Lily insisted, looking over at Severus. "Right, Sev?"
"Quite right." Severus nodded. "I'm quite curious to see what his wand will be."
"Well, I don't exactly know the way," Maurice admitted, before shrugging. "Okay, I see no harm in the extra help."
In agreement, the trio walked down the cobblestone road, Severus leading the way.
"I didn't catch your name, by the way." Lily pointed out.
"Maurice Maelstrom."
"Nice to meet you!" Lily smiled. "I'm Lily, and this is Severus, in case you didn't catch that already."
"Maelstrom…" Severus mused for a moment. "I've never met someone with a name that interesting. Where are you from?"
"Japan." Maurice answered.
"Wow! You're far from home, aren't you?" Lily remarked.
"To be honest, I'm glad to be out of my home country." Maurice declared proudly. "If anything, I'm excited to see more of the world, outside of Japan."
"You're going to love Hogwarts, don't you worry." Severus assured. "It is a place where witches and wizards can fit in."
The trio kept walking, then arrived at a narrow and shabby shop. Upon entering, the shop was tiny and empty, except for a single, spindly chair in the corner. Thousands of narrow boxes were piled right up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust about it.
"Wow, this place is so disorganized." Maurice looked about the shop. "So much dust! When was the last time the owner cleaned up?"
"Given who the owner is, it's as clean as it's going to get." Severus remarked.
"Hello?" Lily called. "Ollivander? Are you here?"
Suddenly, and elder man poked his head out from the floor above, holding what looked like measuring tape.
"Ah, welcome back, Miss Evans!" He greeted, coming down the ladder. "You as well, young Prince!"
'Prince'? Maurice pondered this for a moment. Was Severus royalty of some sort?
"And what can I do for you?" The old man asked with a smile on his face. "Already in need of replacement wands?"
"Actually, we were just showing our new friend the way." Lily explained, gesturing to Maurice. "He's in need of a wand."
"Ah, of course!" Ollivander said excitedly. "I always look forward to seeing what wand one shall be paired with!"
Setting the measuring tape to the side, the old shopkeeper looked about his shop, hovering a finger over one of the wand boxes, before pulling one out of the pile, then pulled a wand out it.
"8 ¾ , powerful." The old wand maker declared proudly. "Maple wood and unicorn hair." He held it out to Maurice. "Go ahead, give it a whirl!"
Taking the wand, Maurice looked over at Severus, who nodded, then gave the wand a flick, magic fired from it, smashing a vase near the window.
Shocked, Maurice quickly dropped the wand on the counter, taking a step back.
"Sorry."
"Ah, nothing to worry about." Ollivander assured, taking the wand and returning it to its box on the shelf. "After all, it's the wand that chooses one who uses it."
As Maurice pondered on what the old shop keeper said, said shop keeper browsed the shelves once more, then pulled out another box.
"This one is 9 inches and made of vine wood and troll whisker. Don't ask where I got the troll whisker." He held the wand out to Maurice.
Taking the wand, Maurice gave it a flick, only for a magical blast to knock some boxes off the shelves.
"Sorry, again." Maurice cringed, setting the wand on the counter.
"Quite alright." Ollivander sighed, storing away the wand.
The shop keeper browsed the shelves, before turning to the wand on the faded purple pillow at the window. Curious, he walked over to it and picked it up.
"This wand hasn't chosen an owner in the longest time." The old man remarked. "This wand is 10 inches, made of yew wood and a thunderbird tail feather." He held it out to Maurice. "Third time's a charm."
Taking the wand, Maurice looked at it for a moment, feeling the magic. With a flick, he felt the magic flow through his body, emitting a bright light aura around him, much to the surprise of the old man and Lily, who looked on in awe, even Severus was having a hard time staying stone-faced.
"Wow." Maurice was in complete awe, as he watched the aura fade.
"How fascinating," Ollivander mused, rubbing a finger against his chin. "I've never seen anything quite like this before…" Maurice returned the wand to him, the old shop keeper giving it one last look. "This kind of wand is extremely rare in the wizarding world. Not to mention difficult to master." He packed it into a box and placed it on the counter. "The wand has chosen you, young…"
"Maelstrom." Maurice answered.
"Maelstrom…" The old shop keeper repeated, looking Maurice in the eyes, then something caught his eye. "Interesting…wait right there!"
Without another word, Ollivander ventured to the far back of the shop, leaving the trio at the counter.
"What's he doing now?" Maurice asked, confused.
"Ollivander has always been an odd duck." Severus shrugged. "Still, he's good at his job."
After a few minutes had passed, Ollivander returned, carrying a black box.
"This wand has never seen much use, since its previous owner was imprisoned." He declared grimly, before pulled a curious looking wand from it and held it out to Maurice. "Try this one."
Curious, Maurice took the wand and looked at it for a moment. It was different from the wands he had tried so far. It was a dark greenish hue and had three red thorn-like protrusions running along its length. Interestingly, rather than being a solid wooden shaft, the wand appeared to be a long tapered strip of bark that had been twisted into a cylindrical shape.
Regardless of its sinister shape, Maurice gave it a flick, feeling the magic flow once again. Only this time, instead of the benevolent light magic, a dark black sinister mist flowed from it, flooding the room, much to the others shock, but Ollivander just stood there, intrigued, then the mist finally faded.
"What was that?!" Severus demanded, trying to keep his cool composure despite what he just saw.
"How interesting." Ollivander mused, taking the wand. "I never would have guessed that this wand would choose anyone else." He gave Maurice a stern look. "You see, this wand once belonged to a brilliant and powerful wizard…a wizard by the name of Gellert Grindelwald."
Lily and Severus stood shock by what they had just heard, though Maurice's expression was one of confusion.
"Who is this Grindelwald character?" He casually asked.
Severus couldn't believe what he heard. Maurice doesn't know who Gellert Grindelwald was?
"Maurice, are you being serious?" He demanded, earning a casual nod from Maurice, much to his disbelief. "Gellert Grindelwald was one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time, only being overshadowed by You-Know-Who." He walked right up to Maurice, practically towering over him. "Grindelwald would've thrown every Muggle-born in the world into forced slavery, if not for Albus Dumbledore, who faced him in what could only be described as," He held hands up, punctuating each word. "One of the greatest wizard duels of all time!"
Maurice was still confused, however, unsure of what to make of this information. Still, he didn't want Severus to rant about it, lest his aunt starts to wander where he is.
"Sorry if my obliviousness upsets you, Severus." Maurice apologized, bowing. "I've simply never heard of him in Japan."
"Yeah, Sev, cut him some slack." Lily implored.
Severus looked at Lily for a moment, then sighed.
"I apologize for my outburst." He said. "I just thought everyone knew who he was."
"Grindelwald did great things with that wand." Ollivander declared. "Terrible things, but great." He then cleared his throat. "Anyways, both wands are yours."
"Really?" Maurice gasped. "Both wands? Even Grindelwald's wand?"
"Especially Grindelwald's wand." The old shop keeper nodded. "I believe that, despite its dark history, it can be put to good use."
After paying for the wands, the trio left the shop, walking down the road.
"That is so cool how you got two wands instead of one!" Lily exclaimed excitedly.
"'Cool' indeed." Severus nodded. "I always did say that Ollivander is an odd duck."
"Is that normal? So to speak?" Maurice asked.
"Not often, but it is rare." Severus shrugged. "Maybe you were an exception."
Before Maurice could pursue this further, Lily tugged at Severus' arm.
"Sev, we better go!" She said. "My parents can take us home!"
"If you insist." Severus chuckled, before turning to Maurice. "Perhaps we'll meet again at Hogwarts."
"I hope so too!" Lily smiled. "See you later, Maur!"
Maurice waved them goodbye, as the two friends walked off, leaving Maurice to his thoughts.
'Maur'? Was that a nickname of some sort? Like how she calls Severus 'Sev'?
Shrugging it off, he simply walked on down the road, before running into James and Sirius.
"There you are, mate!" James smiled. "We were wandering where you were!"
"Sorry for making you worry." Maurice said. "I was getting my wand from Ollivander."
"Can we just give the bird now?" Sirius asked impatiently.
"Relax, will ya, Padfoot?" James said, holding up the cage, with a white owl inside. "Anyways, here's a snowy owl for a snowy kid!"
Looking at the snowy owl, Maurice then looked at his own skin.
'Am I really that pale?'
"So, what d'ya think, mate?" James spoke up. "Do ya like it?"
"It's a nice bird." Maurice admitted, before smiling. "Yes, I love it!"
"That's great, mate!" James was grinning his biggest grin. "Glad we could help out!"
"Can we go now, Prongs?" Sirius huffed. "Moony and Wormtail are no doubt eager to head home too."
'Moony'? 'Wormtail'? What kind of nicknames are these?
"Alright, we'll go then." James sighed, then smiled as he gave the owl to Maurice. "Well, I hope to see you later at Hogwarts, Maurice!"
"I hope to see you there as well." Maurice nodded.
After saying their goodbyes, Maurice walked down the road, back to where his aunt and Dumbledore were, seeing them outside the Three Broomsticks.
"Auntie! Dumbledore!" He waved at them, running over to them excitedly.
"Welcome back, young man." Dumbledore smiled. "I trust your shopping went well?"
"It was confusing at first, but I eventually found my way." Maurice nodded. "I even made some new friends!"
"That's wonderful, Maurice!" Sarah smiled, hugging him. "You simply must tell me all about it!"
While the child and aunt spoke, Dumbledore watched them with a smile on his face. The two looked so happy; he was almost tempted to start crying.
"Well, since the shopping is done," He cleared his throat. "Time to head home and rest up for tomorrow, when Maurice leaves for Hogwarts."
"I'm so excited!" Maurice jumped with glee, a big smile on his face. "I can't wait to go to school!"
"I love you enthusiasm, Maurice." Sarah smiled, hugging him. "Just like your mother." She turned to Dumbledore. "I trust we will see you tomorrow, Albus?"
"You will." Dumbledore nodded. "I'll be there to see him on the train."
Nodding and saying their goodbyes, the aunt and the boy made their way back to London, as Dumbledore turned and sighed. Walking down the road, he entered Ollivanders, the old shop keeper sorting through the wands before noticing Dumbledore.
"Ah, Professor Dumbledore!" He placed the wands in their boxes and approaching the counter. "What brings you here?"
"I was simply wandering how Maurice's wand search went." Albus said plainly. "Went well, I hope?"
"Well, mostly." Ollivander shrugged. "It took three tries, but he found not one, but two wands."
"Two?" Dumbledore repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Is that possible?"
"It is, in fact." The shop keeper nodded. "One of them was the wand at the window, the other…was Grindelwalds old wand."
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, upon hearing this, before speaking.
"Are you certain?"
"I am, Professor." Ollivander nodded. "Something allowed him to hold ownership of it, something…dark."
"I see." Dumbledore sighed, before turning to the door. "I will see you again."
After leaving the shop, Albus thought back to Kiru's words, about something dark inside of Maurice, wondering if he had made a mistake.
"There's no reason to crush the boys spirit." Albus told himself. "I simply must wait and see if I made the right choice. Perhaps the influence of his new friends will help him."
With this in mind, Albus apparated out of sight, returning to rest for tomorrow.
And there's another chapter! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far and hope you keep reading. Also, I want to apologize if this chapter seems rushed, I just didn't want to keep you guys waiting for a new chapter. The next chapter will be Maurice's arrival to Hogwarts and sorting ceremony! Though, I must ask, which house do you guys think Maurice will be sorted into? Not spoiling anything, just wanted to ask for your thoughts. Anyways, stay tuned for more and don't forget to review!