A/N: Hey again! Sorry it took soooo long to get this chapter up, but my summer was stolen by other things that I barely had any time for myself. Buuuut I'm back now with a new addition to our story! (: I hope you like it.
And just so everyone knows, I do not own anything you recognize.
And now... Chapter 5! Go on, read it. ...you know you waaant too...
Evangeline couldn't believe her eyes as she took in the street. It wasn't too busy, but there were still a few people running around, catching up on a few things it seemed. But what truly amazed her were the shops lining the street. What wonders had to be hidden inside! And suddenly she had the urge to run to each window, through each door, just to see what she could. Why did this new world make her feel like a child every time she saw something new?
Next to her, Mr. Lupin smiled and turned to her. "Enjoying yourself?"
"Possibly." She smiled. "Where to first?"
"Textbooks."
And they walked off down the street. Evangeline's eyes wandered to every store front and every street vendor they passed, giddy like a child again. She hadn't done much, but she was already enjoying herself immensely. And the awkwardness after the tiny dispute from earlier had seemed to vanish. Which was good.
After a few feet of walking, Mr. Lupin turned into a store called Flourish and Blotts from the sign hanging over the door. Following, she found herself in an amazing bookstore. Though it was small and cluttered from floor to ceiling with books, she found herself loving it. It was like a dream come true! If only they had bookstores like this back home…
Navigating her way through the neat-but-messy layout of the store, she caught up to Remus who was standing near the center looking at a shelf of books. He placed his finger on the spines, gliding it along the titles, quietly mumbling them to himself. After a moment of this he stopped, pulled a book from its place, and opened it. Nodding to himself, he placed the book under his arm and walked to another shelf, then to another, and then another. The scene before her was so serene and seemingly normal for him that she left him to his searching.
When she'd walked in, she'd seen a second floor and decided she'd go check it out. Might find something useful up there…she thought. Excited, she almost skipped to the stairs that led to the upper floor of the shop. Up here was almost the same as the lower floor except that it was lighter feeling. She smiled and began to peruse the many bookcases, shelves, and tables littered with books. Amazing.
As she worked her way towards the back, the room started to get a little darker. It was a subtle change, a change she picked up on immediately but ignored it. She wanted to keep looking, but the voice of Mr. Lupin called to her from downstairs and she had to leave the books behind.
"Find anything interesting up there Evangeline?" he asked her.
"Mmm, sadly no. But I didn't look too hard."
He held up a bundle wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string, showing her what he'd gotten. "It's for you. Mostly textbooks, but I found something I think you'll enjoy. On me." he smiled.
Evangeline returned the gesture and thanked him as she ran back down the stairs. "That didn't take long." she noted.
"I think you got a little carried away up there Evangeline." he smirked.
"Haha, maybe. So, where to next?"
"We need to get you your school robes, supplies, and your wand."
"Then let's get going!"
They walked out of the bookstore, Evangeline almost regretfully, and headed in the same direction they'd started. This time, though, they didn't enter a homely bookstore, but a clothing shop. Madam Malkin's she believed the sign had said. The door opened and a noise went off, alerting everyone inside that there were new customers and a woman walked forward from between rows of robes.
"Hello. How may I help you?"
"Good day, madam. We are here to purchase some robes, thank you." Remus said.
"For the girl?"
He nodded.
"If you'll follow me please." And Evangeline did.
They walked towards the back of the store, the woman occasionally stopping and grabbing a few items. She handed them to her, telling her where she could go to try them on. A few minutes later, Evangeline emerged, dressed in the clothes that the woman had given her. The skirt fit, as did the robe, but the shirt was a tad large.
A few more changing's and alterations later, Evangeline had a bag of school robes ready to go. She thanked the woman who had helped her, and left with Remus behind her.
The robes were nice enough, but she wasn't looking forward to the uniforms. Her old school didn't have uniforms like Hogwarts did (her old school didn't have a lot of things Hogwarts did…), but that was one thing she was probably going to miss from her Muggle school. She enjoyed expressing herself with her style. Oh well.
Outside, Remus stopped in a particularly warm patch of sun and took it in. From the look on his face, he was greatly enjoying it. After watching him a moment, Evangeline decided to follow suit and stood with him in the patch of sun. It warmed her face and hair and made her feel like she did that morning when she walked out of the school.
"Ah, the sun is nice today. Probably one of the last nice days we'll have for a very, very long time. Sad." he paused. "Well, shall we continue? We're almost finished with our shopping."
Evangeline nodded, and down the street they walked.
Together, the pair walked leisurely, quietly window shopping and observing each other through their peripheral vision. Something chimed in the distance, bells by the sound of it, and it caused Remus to check the time in a hurry. His eyes widened in shock and he looked up at Evangeline quickly.
"I suppose we spent more time than we thought getting your school robes. Time just flies doesn't it? We have to be getting back soon and we still need your supplies and wand. Oh my, I can't believe I let time slip away again." He felt rushed now, she could tell.
"Worry not, sir, we can get this done. Of course we can!" She gave him a supportive smile to his stressed look.
"Of course…"
"Shall we split up then? I can get something and we meet back somewhere?"
He thought a moment and nodded. "That sounds good. Here, I'll run get your supplies and you get your wand. That shouldn't take long, so when you finish meet me back at the entrance to this store." He pointed a little way down the street to a shop called Scribbulus Writing Instruments. "I'll probably be finishing up when you get there."
"Okay."
"And you'll be going to Ollivander's. He sells wands. Follow this street to the end, it's on the right. You'll know it when you see it."
"Okay, sir. I'll meet you back here!" She smiled and walked off down the street, alone this time.
Walking by herself was a little different, but not unpleasant. And a certain excitement seeped into her bones, into every fiber of her being as she got closer and closer to her destination. She was about to get her wand, her very own wand! How amazing!
The end of the street came into view, and she started checking more closely at the names of the shops around her, fearful she'd miss the store she was searching for. But as she drew closer to the end, she found she hadn't missed it like she feared. There, between two other stores sat a small, worn shop. Over the door, in gold, peeling letters read: Ollivanders: Makers of Find Wands since 382 B.C. In the window was a lonely wand seated on a purple cushion- the shop's solitary display. Maybe her wand would look like that one. Maybe.
This was it. This was the store that held her wand.
Here we go.
Evangeline opened the door and entered with a smile on her face. "Hello?" She called out to whoever was tending the store. From near the back, she heard footsteps shift and walk her way.
The man that appeared had an elderly look about him: white hair and a wrinkled face. But when he saw her, his face lit up in a smile and he came toward her.
"Hello. I am Ollivander. Are you looking for a wand today?" He smiled.
She returned the gesture. "I am."
"Alright. And what is your name, if you don't mind my asking?"
"I'm Evangeline." The man, Ollivander, looked her over for a moment, assessing her. His eyes found her hands first, then moved to her eyes quickly, and back to her hands.
"Hmm, I believe I have the perfect wand for you. Hold on a moment." And he slipped away down a cluttered aisle filled with small, rectangular boxes.
The shop wasn't large by any means. It was quaint, and covered in a thick layer of dust. She noticed that the aisles were compact, and nearly over-filled with the amount of cases stacked on their shelves. From somewhere near the back, she could hear the old man shuffling around, tapping boxes and finally returning to his lone customer at the front of the shop.
"Here, try this one." He opened the box and pulled out its contents: a small, slender stick-like object. She knew it to be a wand. One like her sister's. She smiled and held out her hand.
"Willow wood, with a dragon heart string core. Ten and a half inches." He handed it delicately to her.
As her hand wrapped around the cool wood, excitement overcame her. Maybe this could be the one! Her wand! She held it, looking down on the design in the wood. It was beautiful, a vine of leaves winding up from the base to the tip of the wand. But as she stood there, admiring the work in her hand, she realized that it only felt like a simple stick to her, nothing more. She looked up at the man in front of her with a puzzled expression on her face.
"I don't think that this is the one for you." He spoke softly, taking the wand back and returning it to its proper case. "I'll be right back."
She nodded and watched as he strode back into the aisles with slight disappointment. Though she didn't give up hope. Maybe the next one would be hers! Hadn't her sister said it had taken her a few tries to find the right match?
She waited again until he returned with another box. When he did, the excitement came back almost instantly, and she listened intently as he told her this wand was made of cherry with a unicorn spittle core and was 11 inches long. Hand extended, he placed it in her upturned palm and again watched as she held it.
This time, as she held it, she did feel something, but it wasn't good. She could feel something pulsing in her hand, coming through her arm from somewhere deep inside. It was odd, and she looked up at the man, again puzzled. Something sparked in Ollivander's eyes and he reached for the wand, but it was too late. Before he could pull it out of her hand, the wand exploded in a firework of color. It was a dazzling sight for a moment and then all went dark.
Evangeline looked up at him, eyes glistening with tears. "I'm so sorry…"
He shook his head at her apology. "It's fine. I've had that happen a few times in my years of work. Nothing to cry over." He started to bend over to pick up the remains of the wand, but before he could clean up, the door opened and in walked Mr. Lupin.
He smiled a cheery smile at the two of them before asking about the wand situation. When he saw the distressed look on Evangeline's face, he stepped towards her and patted her shoulder in a reassuring gesture.
"It's okay." He whispered as the shop owner returned to perusing the shelves.
She only nodded, waiting again for another possible disappointment. And she was right. Wand after wand after wand was never her match. They either didn't work, exploded, or a few times wouldn't even go to her hand. After countless duds, Ollivander decided that finding her wand wasn't going to happen. He pulled Remus away to speak to him in private, but Evangeline was able to overhear their conversation anyway.
"She can't use a wand. Nothing responds to her."
"Are you sure? There was that one oak-"
"No. It won't happen. I don't know why, but she can't use one. Tell me, Mr. Lupin, she isn't a first year, is she?"
He shook his head, relaying what he knew of her situation to the man.
"I see." He sighed. "She's never going to be able to use a wand like other witches and wizards. It's not in her."
Evangeline could have cried. She was a Muggle after all. What kind of a sick trick was this that people were playing on her? Telling her she was a witch, throwing her into this new and almost frightening world?
"Thank you for your time." Spoke Remus, closer than she'd thought. "Let's go, Evangeline."
And she silently followed him out of the shop, a lone tear finally escaping her eye and running down her cheek.
A/N: So, tell me what you thought! I really do appreciate reviews.. :D
