Eve followed Ollivander back into his shop, slightly reluctant to leave Howl and Danny. She was beginning to like Howl very much, he had a very pleasing voice. "Stand here, will you my dear?" Ollivander asked, whipping a small silver cube from his pocket. The tape measure flew around her body, sizing her arms, chest, height, legs, everything. When he was done the cube disappeared most hurriedly and Eve smiled at him.
"This is very exciting, you know," she said with her usual sunny grin, "for me. And for Danny, I would imagine. To think, only a few hours ago we were wandering around in a swamp. Not that that wasn't completely enjoyable but I do like having company of the human nature rather than flies." Ollivander had been nodding distractedly and then cut her off.
"I prefer to work in quiet if you please, Miss-?"
"Berry, sugar." she replied, allowing a very small amount of southern twang to spice her tone. Ollivander shook his head in amazement, muttering something about blonde Americans, and wandered off down a row of shelves filled to the bursting with long rectangular boxes each of which contained, presumably, a handcrafted wand. Ollivander came hurrying back with a box, which he whisked open unceremoniously, revealing a thick and stubby wand that made Eve make a face. It was rather ugly, most supremely ugly actually, and she found herself praying that it did not choose her.
"Pine, 6 and 3/4 inches, thestral hair core, unyielding." Eve frowned.
"I'm sorry sir, but what exactly is a core?" Ollivander sighed.
"When a wand is made, the essence of a magical creature is placed inside the wand to allow it to channel the magical energy of a wizard." Eve frowned but nodded, wanting to ask so much more but seeing she was clearly annoying the man. She gripped the hilt of the wand, unbelievably unpleasant to touch, and by instinct her wrist snapped into a graceful flick. A chair behind Ollivander was absolutely obliterated, chunks of ash and flakes of paint floating slowly down to the ground after the explosion. Ollivander snatched the wand back from her before she could do more damage. "I am afraid that is definitely not the one for you, Miss Berry."
"Is everything alright?" came Howl's concerned voice from the front, having only heard a loud explosion.
"Naturally, Howl!" came Ollivander's strained reply as he hurriedly returned the wand to its case and trundled off to find another. twelve inches, fifteen, nine-and-half, ten-and-quarter eight-and-two-thirds, eleven-and-three-fifths, seven-and-three-quarters, holly, birch, vine, oak, cherry, mahogany, rosewood, ash, hawthorn, yew, willow, elder, phoenix feather, unicorn hair, phoenix feather, dragon heartstring, unicorn hair, springy, pliable, unyielding, sturdy, Eve tried everything, but nothing seemed to work, always leading something in Ollivander's shop to be hopelessly mangled. The last wand he handed her (Yew, eleven-and-a-half inches, unicorn hair and pliable) even shot sparks backwards, the embers burying themselves deeply into Eve's hand.
Her strangled cry caused Danny and Howl, who had literally been sitting there for at least five hours, to come running. "What happened?" gasped Danny when he saw the angry red wounds and blisters forming on his friend's hand. Howl took out his wand and pointed rather grandly.
"Episkey" Much to Howl's annoyance, the spell had no effect and Eve continued to grit her teeth in agony as Danny rubbed soothing circles on her back. Clearing his throat he pointed again. "Episkey Universitas!" Eve screamed as her flesh began to knit back together, slowly and painfully, until her hand was once again whole but still swollen and covered with tiny, silvery scars. "We'll have to put some ice on that later." He commented as Danny helped her to stand.
"Howl, I'm sorry, but there's simply nothing in my shop that will work for her." said Ollivander, coming back to join the group now that the madness was over. Howl frowned.
"Then what are our options, Ollivander?" The older man grimaced.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but you might want to look into Kiddell's wands. They won't last as long, but he might have something. Or, I could make her a custom wand, it will cost more, but wands in which the wizard, or in this case witch, chooses the components tend to be more receptive to that wizard as their master. Of course, there are always exceptions…" he said, his eyes falling to Eve's hand. Howl mused.
"I've never liked Jimmy, fat balding old man he is. And his wands are the lowest quality on the market, or so the daily prophet claims. We'll take a chance, old friend, and have Eve here choose." Ollivander nodded a little sullenly and led them as far back into the shop as the walls would allow. Then he opened a small, rusting door located to their left and stepped through, followed quickly by the others.
Eve gasped. Similar to the concept of the tents being larger on the inside, this room, which Danny had taken for a closet, was enormous. High glass ceilings, over a hundred feet tall at some points, domed their way over, what appeared to be, a greenhouse for trees. Hedge clippers and watering cans floated along and tended to plants as if they had minds of their own and a cloud circled the expansive room dropping a sort of sparkling translucent liquid on the trees that caused their leaves to shimmer. Ollivander led them along a path, carved out by large flat stones cutting into the thick green grass. "Miss Berry." He said summoning her from her dazed amazement. "I am going to tell you the properties of each tree, so be sure to pay attention so you can make the right choice." Eve nodded.
They came to a giant oak tree, larger than either Danny or Eve had ever seen. "Oak represents strength and durability, these tend to be the longest lasting and the least breakable of wands, however they are also the least versatile when it comes to the variety of spells they are able to perform to their full potential. However, oak wood also tends to provide protection to the user, mostly by absorbing the worst effects of a spell used against its master." The four of them continued through the rest of the trees, absorbing the details that Ollivander choked out. When they had finished they were back near the entrance and Howl addressed her.
"Now, Eve, which wood took your fancy?" Eve bit her lip. She had had such bad experiences with each of the woods she had been shown earlier that she was reluctant to pick any of them. She thought hard about their properties and spoke.
"Um, I liked-" suddenly a tree she had not seen before appeared on the edges of her vision. She spun, facing the overlooked arbor. "An orange tree!" she exclaimed in surprise. The tree was maybe twenty-five feet in height and its branches stretched out at least twenty feet to either side of its sturdy trunk. Its foliage was thick and dark green, studded with snowy white flowers and golden globes of fruit larger than Eve or Danny had ever seen.
"Ah, yes. My doctor prescribed more citrus for my diet years ago and I planted it. The fruit's delicious." said Ollivander, waving his wand and causing an orange to float into Eve's arms. Eve gaped; it was about twice the size of her head. Then she looked up, her gaze determined.
"Can orange wood be used in a wand?" Ollivander blinked.
"I've never thought to use it before, I'm not sure anyone has, but yes, I suppose it could. Yes, I'm sure it could. Though as to the properties it might have, it's completely untested. Any wand made from it would be a shot in the dark, so to speak." Howl quickly inserted himself.
"As the one who will be financing said wand, I would appreciate as little risk as possible. Pick another wood, Eve." His voice was a little threatening and Eve shivered but held her ground.
"I spent over five hours trying out wands, Howl, each made from the woods you suggested I choose. Wouldn't it be safer, less of a risk, to try a wood which has yet to reject me?" Howl frowned but eventually saw her logic.
"Do as you must." He grumbled, retreating. Eve turned to Ollivander, the massive orange clutched to her chest.
"Orange wood, if you please, Mr. Ollivander." The man nodded, excitement sparkling in his eyes at the promise of a challenge and he jotted something down hurriedly in a small notebook bound in worn leather he had pulled from his sleeve.
He looked at her, his gaze fierce and expectant. "Now, my dear, for the core." They deposited Danny and Howl out in the lobby and then nearly dragged eve down a heavy wooden hatch that led to the basement. There was a large wooden table with hundreds of odd-looking silver and gold tools resting in racks floating above it, which Eve surmised was his workbench. On the shelves, which covered the walls, were jars of all sizes, most labeled with the common cores like dragon heartstring but some with more exotic things like mandrake root and powdered centaur hooves. Ollivander rushed off around the corner leaving Eve to peruse the shelves and examine the various cores. Suddenly he returned, a small wooden box clutched in his gnarled old hands. "What's that?" asked Eve, curious. Ollivander tapped the box, his eyes shining with exhilaration.
"This, I believe, could very well be your core." He carefully set the box down and opened it. Inside lay what appeared to be butterfly wings, if more angular and ragged of edge. What was unique about them, disregarding the spines present on the thicker parts of the frame, was the color. The wings were iridescent and possessed all colors and yet at the same time no color. Sometimes they were as bright as a prism and others they were the blackest of blacks, absorbing the light around them. As she stared at the wings the world began to spin around her and she felt the insatiable urge to touch the velvety surface of the wings. Ollivander slammed the box closed just in time and Eve shook her head, disoriented.
"You mustn't touch them." He warned. "There's a very wild magic here that would very well destroy a young, untrained witch like yourself. Still, you lasted longer than most wizards your age would have would have. Curious." Eve swayed dizzily.
"What were those things?" she asked, sitting herself down on a bench next to a small skeleton of a creature she didn't recognize.
"Fairy wings." Ollivander said with reverence. "From a queen no less. The Fae store their magic in their wings because their bodies are too tiny to contain it all. Fairy wing wands are very hard to come by; the wings must be harvested from a living fairy in order to keep their power; otherwise the magic vanishes. And a wand with the wings of a queen, well that's unheard of." Eve frowned.
"If they are so rare and valuable, why haven't you made a wand with it yet?" Ollivander smiled, sadly.
"A fairy wing wand is in some ways a pact. Before bonding with it, a wizard is essentially free of the realm of Fae, only sometimes coming into contact with the creatures. When they bond, the wizard is sort of inducted as an honorary Fairy and gain access to a whole new realm of magic."
"That sounds like a good thing." said Eve, still not completely understanding. Ollivander leaned in close, his voice low and intimidating.
"Not everything in that world is friendly, Miss Berry. In fact, the majority of it is dangerous, deadly. If given the opportunity, the creatures will come after you and kill you for your wand. Do you understand?" Eve shivered, slightly disturbed at his tone, but nodded.
"No one has wanted to take the risk." she said, the understanding blooming in her mind. Ollivander once again clutched the box close to him, his eyes sneaking around at the shadows.
"So what will it be, Miss Berry? The fight for you will be difficult, but the wealth of this wand will be well worth it." Eve bit her lip, knowing she should say no but all she could think of was the intoxication she had felt while looking at those wings, the heady sense of being completely out of control and yet in control in the same moment. Mind set, she met Ollivander's expectant gaze.
"I'll do it, I'll have them as my core." Ollivander's face took on a look of almost insane happiness.
"Wonderful." He led her upstairs and back to the lobby where she went to stand by Howl and Danny. "Well," he said speaking to Howl. "We're all set. It will take me about three days to complete the wand. I'll send you an owl when it's done." Howl nodded and Danny asked a very relevant question.
"What will she do in the mean time?" Ollivander reached into his pocket and pulled out another wand, plain-looking and fresh. "Holly, 9 inches. Pliable."
"She'll use this." Eve shook her head, her face defiant and her arms crossed.
"No way am I using holly." Ollivander chuckled.
"Oh, it's not a wand, just a model. There's no core. It's completely harmless. Of course, it also doesn't function very well, but I'd be afraid to let you use any other wand than your destined wand after that display earlier." Eve nodded numbly and took the fancy, polished stick, tucking it away into her sweater. "Until next time, Howl."
Howl smiled and led the new wizards out into the street. "Well, I suppose we'd better go and get you your robes next. Your current attire is hardly appropriate for a top wizard university." Danny and Eve looked down at their torn, dirty clothes, at each other, then around, at the other wizards and witches milling about the streets of Diagon Alley. Some of them wore clothes that were similar to theirs', yet even they seemed out of place here; Danny and Eve kept their heads down as they walked through the Alley, following Howl back up the street to a pristine shop, the sign out front announcing it in curling writing as Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. In the window, the boy that had been getting measured was gone, and now all that stood were several mannequins, all sporting several different styles of robe, form the plain to the fashion-forward.
"Madam Malkin makes the finest robes of anyone I've ever seen," Howl commented. "Stitched mine herself." He pulled at his own robe, which he wore like a cloak, open over his frilly white shirt and long black pants. He pushed the door open, and ushered the two in; the door closed with a hearty slam and the sound of a bell, pealing out into the impeccably decorated and clean shop. The wallpaper was pink, with a sort of paisley design over it; the coffee table looked brand new and was complete with a vase of fresh-looking flowers.
A prudish older woman came from a back room, hearkening to the sound of the bell; she saw Howl, and her face fell. "Oh, don't tell me you're in here for another repair," she said crossly, immediately pouncing upon the stitching in his cloak. "For all of the times I've had to do special favors on your robes over the years, and not one payment-"
"It's not me, today, Madam Malkin," Howl laughed, pulling at his collar, clearly embarrassed by the display. "These two need robes." Madam Malkin stopped prodding at Howl and backed up to look at Danny and Eve. She looked at them harshly, judgementally through her spectacles and down her long, thin nose. Finally, she sneered.
"Very well," she said curtly. "Measurements?" Howl shook his head.
"They need their first robes," he explained. Madam Malkin sighed more, rolling her eyes, but not asking for any sort of explanation. She snapped, and from behind the counter floated a measuring tape and several pins; she let the pins float next to her head and immediately began measuring Eve, just as Ollivander had, muttering and grunting every now and then in distaste.
"Hmm," she said, stepping back and looking at a wide-eyed Eve. "I expect you'll want your school's normal robes?" she asked Howl, still stroking her chin and examining Eve. Howl nodded, smiling, but his smile was lost on Madam Malkin's pursed lips and scowling demeanor.
"A sweet old broad," he whispered to Danny, who choked back a laugh as the woman glared at Howl. She snapped again, and several large bundles of cloth floated in from the back room, gliding over to Madam Malkin as if awaiting command. She unfolded them neatly and held them up against Eve's body; she nodded, satisfied, pushing the clothes into Eve's hands.
"These will do." She pointed to the back room. "Come on, then; I'll show you how to put them on." Eve followed her back, casting a fearful look at Danny before disappearing behind a black curtain that Madam Malkin pulled violently over the doorway. Danny and Howl stood uncomfortably in the lobby, the silence awkward, as if both were fighting for something to say. From behind the curtain came sounds of grunting and shrieks, and several moments later Eve emerged, wearing the robes and squirming uncomfortably, adjusting herself.
She walked over to the mirror in the lobby and stood, looking at herself, drawing herself up and deflating his a sigh, looking at herself from all angles while Madam Malkin nodded approvingly. The robes were velvety, a deep scarlet or maybe maroon, the dark colour shifting as the light hit it at different angles. The collar cut low, but not low enough to reveal any of Eve's ample breast, and was fringed in was looked like long fur, gold and red and ocher, the warm colours shimmering just like the rest of the robes. Just under her breasts it sported a stylish golden brooch. Beneath the robes she wore a blouse, emerald green in colour, deep and smooth like a calm ocean underneath the heavy fabric of the robe. The robes' cloth was woven with intricate designs sewn into it, the delicate swirling designs repeated in the thin gold belt that synched at Eve's stomach, several loops hanging form it, as if designed to hold something. It looked heavy, and hung down to her ankles; however, it did fit her curves, and in it her face shone, despite his disapproving expression.
Madam Malkin didn't ask for her opinion on her clothes, nor did Howl; neither of them seemed to care as the old woman took Danny by the arm with her manicured nails and took his measurement, shoulders, arms, legs, torso, neck. "The boys are always more difficult," she muttered. "Pants. What wizard in their right mind wears pants?" Danny noticed that she was careful enough not to let Howl hear her, but he was too busy complementing a still-unsure Eve. In a matter of few minutes he, too, was being shoved into the back room. It didn't take long until Eve heard his grunts and groans and was glad that she had her robes.
"Is this really what the students have to wear?" Eve asked Howl hopefully.
"Yes," he said firmly. "Don't worry, you'll get used to them. They get lighter and lighter the more you wear them. They're really rather fetching, much more so than the robes the students at Hogwarts have to wear. So plain, and drab; think of it this way, these accentuate your body more." Eve glared at him viciously; he was infringing on the territory of being creepy. But, just before she said anything about it, Danny came stumbling from out of the back room, nearly getting tangled in the black curtain as he tripped over his robes.
His were very similar to Eve's, in design, anyway, the main portion of his robes a cloak, which draped over his arm and cascaded to the ground. It had the same changing quality of Eve's, the fringe following hers as well, over the top and bottom fringed of the cloak. It was loosely buttoned by his throat by a golden brooch, and covered half of his body; what could be seen underneath was much like Howl's. He wore a dark, emerald green shirt, tight against his well-muscled body, a stitched diamond pattern repeated over the fabric. It hung, cut like an army general's, buttons lining the right side, loosely over his pants, belted with that same gold belt just under his navel. He wore long black pants and knee-high, sturdy boots, and as he met his reflection he strutted back and forth, thinking himself dashing, but rugged, like a proper wizard ought to look.
"That ought to do," Malkin said to Howl as Eve admired Danny, and Danny admired Eve. "That'll be twelve Galleons and three Sickles apiece." Howl groaned, and dug into his pockets, to which Malkin scoffed, haughty. "Do not give me that, Master Howl!" she shrieked. "You have me import the finest Chinese silks, the most expensive manticore manes, the most exquisite-" Howl cut her off by placing a handful of gold and silver coins in her outstretched hand, sighing tiredly, and turning around to wink at Danny and Eve.
"Come along, then," Howl said, whisking out of the shop before they a moment to thank Madam Malkin, "we've much to do." They walked out to the center of the Alley, standing in front of Gringotts' massive doors, which, in the dimming light of the late afternoon, were beginning to close with a deep creak. "Ordinarily, we'd go ahead and buy your books and whatnot here," Howl said, hesitating, "but, I'm afraid, I'm nearly out of money, and Gringotts is closing for the night. We'll come back soon; but I'm afraid for now we'll have to go back to school." He put out his hand, and though Danny and Eve were reluctant to take it, they found their eyes sagging with exhaustion and grabbed hold of it. The last thing they saw before their bodies twisted into knots and they were blown into the white light was Howl winking.
In a flash, accompanied with a crack like thunder, the three stood in the castle again. Danny's knees gave out again, and he fell to the ground, leaping up again in embarrassment as Howl look down at him reproachfully. He waited a moment for Danny to gather his bearings, and as Eve noticed that they were now standing in a long, bleak, grey stone hallway, Howl began walking swiftly away. Danny alerted her, as she was busy examining the plain, cold stone, and they soon fell in stride with him.
"Where are we going?" Eve asked. Howl ignored her for a few steps as they turned a corner.
"This," he began to explain, "is an old castle. A very, very old castle. So old that even with magic it is practically irreparable. Most of the building is gone, and form the outside it looks like a mere skeleton of a building. Which, needless to say, it is. You'll find that the few rooms that are still left intact are empty; we never allow our professors to teach out of them, it's far too dangerous."
"So where are our classes?"
"Just because the rooms are unused does not mean that no one uses them," Howl sighed impatiently. "I suppose you'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, there are still a few rooms which even we do not use, if you'll see why." They had stopped before a rotting, plain wooden door, which Howl, with a flick of his wand, sent flying open with a sharp crack. Danny and Eve stepped nervously inside, and peered around. The room was large, and empty, nothing but three blank stone walls and a stone floor. The fourth wall, which may have once faced the door, was missing completely, and the bricks on the two walls and floor beside it had begun to fall away as well. Eve wrapper her robes closer around her to protect herself from the night's chill that was blowing in on sharp winds from the missing wall. Danny, however, looked out, to the rolling hills, laden heavy with pure white snow that glistened in the starlight.
"Most of the rooms are like this," Howl said sadly, before standing at the head of the room and instructing Eve and Danny to stand across the room from him. "Now then," he began to explain, "you two are a terrible drag on our school's reputation." Eve scoffed at the blatancy of the insult, to which Howl gave her a small, annoyed look. "You haven't the training of any of the major wizarding schools, nor of any of the smaller ones. I'm afraid that in order to survive here, you'll have to learn in a few months what you would ordinarily be taught in several years." Danny and Eve looked to each other fearfully, shivering from the wind, that had begun to blow small flurries of snow into the room.
"Your lesson will begin immediately. Sometimes I will be your teacher; other times, I will bring in a professor to instruct you," Howl continued. "For the moment we are caught at the disadvantage of having no books; for now, I will teach you the most basic spells I know. We will return to Diagon Alley soon to purchase your books. Now then, wands at the ready." Danny and Eve both produced the long black boxes from the inner folds of their robes immediately, both of them itching and eager to begin.
"Toss the boxes to the side; you won't be needing them ever again. Actually," Howl stopped himself, producing his own wand, "point at the boxes with your wands." Both of them did, Eve gripping hers firmly in her hand, Danny letting his run between his thumb and middle finger, his forefinger resting atop it. He still felt a tingle of warmth spread through his fingers as they touched the wood. "Repeat after me: Wingardium Leviosa. And as you do, move your wand like this." He swished it, ending the motion with a sharp flick. "It's a levitation spell; as you perform it, you may want to try moving your wand up."
Eve and Danny moved as one, both of their hands swishing and flicking with the same flow that Howl had. Instantly, Danny felt a pull from the tip of his wand to the box; he moved his wand slowly up, and the box lifted off the ground, giving Danny a secret thrill as it rose higher and higher into the air. Eve's box, however, barely moved, rising a couple of inches, if that, before crashing back to the floor. She shot Danny a helpless look, and he nodded to her wand, as if to explain that it was probably because her wand was not her wand at all.
Howl had them repeat the exercise several times until Danny was able to lift his box with hardly any effort at all, and even Eve's box rose several feet from the floor. "Just imagine how good you'll be by the time you get your wand," Danny encouraged, and she smiled halfheartedly, disappointed by her lack of significant progress.
"Now then," Howl told Danny, "Lift it up again, and this time, holding your wand firmly, say, Reducto. Eve, you continue to practice the levitation spell." Eve looked over to Danny, disgruntled, but as the word escaped his lips, a bright red light burst from the tip of his wand and raced towards the levitating box. Danny was thrown backwards, hitting the wall, hard, as the box exploded, leaving behind a small amount of dust and ash, which floated down to the floor. Danny groaned, and Eve, though she cried out for her friend, secretly laughed at him while he scrambled to get up.
"What in hell was that?" he cried out to Howl, who didn't try to conceal his laughter.
"A Reductor Curse," he laughed. "A good, basic curse to learn, after the Levitation Charm." Danny brushed his new robes off angrily, muttering to himself.
"Well, now what do I do? My box is gone!" Howl was still chuckling, but leaned over and tapped the pile of ash with his wand, turning it back into a long black box. Danny blinked.
"Now, you practice." Howl watched as Danny and Eve practiced, Eve's rising no higher than before, despite her frustrated efforts, Danny still being blown backwards into the wall with every cast Reductor Curse. Two hours passed by uninterrupted before Howl broke the silence. "Now then," he said to a fuming Eve and a bruised Danny, "I have ere a small list of spells for you two to practice before our next session. That is to say, two days form now, in this same room. Take tomorrow to rest." He handed them each a small scroll of parchment; on it was written a list of spells and how to perform them, starting with Wingardium Leviosa and Reducto.
"Pardon," Eve said, panting, "but where exactly do we rest?"
"Oh, yes, your dorms," Howl said, thinking deeply. "I think we have a room available. It won't be quite as, shall we say, private, as the rest of our dormitories, but it's the best I can do for you on such short notice."
"What do you mean, private?" Danny groaned.
"Well, you'll be rooming together," Howl explained, to which Eve and Danny smiled. At this point, they couldn't imagine being apart in this strange, new place. "With another girl. A certain Lorelei Lovegood. She's a queer girl, to be sure; then again, I suppose it runs in the blood." Eve and Danny met each other's eyes nervously.
"How do we get to our dorm?" Danny asked. "I thought the rooms in the castle weren't used."
"They aren't," came the swift reply. "For now, I will take you there; tomorrow, go to the Grand Hall, where the portkey first brought you here. You'll be able to find it, then." Danny nodded, unsure as to what he meant, but agreed, so long as it brought them closer to an opportunity to sleep. Howl extended his hand, and by now Eve and Danny were trained; they took it, first replacing their wands to the loops at their hips. With a bright white flash and a feeling their bodies being twisted into knots, they were gone.