Chapter One
-Extraordinary Students-
Taki gently brushed the sawdust off of the newly crafted wand. Chips of oak fell to the table and floor. He could barely contain his excitement, though it was not the most elegant wand he had ever seen. In fact, by all accounts it appeared quite crude and to an untrained eye it would likely be mistaken for an ordinary stick. But it was his; merely holding it in his hands was the most incredible moment of his young life.
Taki bounced up from his wooden stool and waved his hand. The wand whistled sweetly as it cut through the air. The weight, the size, the balance, all were perfect. It was as if a part of him that had been missing his entire life had just been returned. He was finally whole.
He had to test it.
"Accio ash owl." Blurted Taki as he spun to face the open window. His wand jolted slightly in his hand as he pointed it at the carved owl sitting on the window sill. Suddenly, the carving rose up and shot towards him. It was a bit faster than Taki had expected but he was able to reach his free hand out and snatch the figure before it flung into the wall behind him.
It worked.
Taki tossed the owl onto his low, unmade bed next to him, tucking the wand into his belt. He could not contain his his wand completed he was almost ready to continue with his classes. However, there was one last step: get the the newly created wand approved by Elder Fritze. She should be pleased, he had done in only a few days what it took some of his classmates weeks even months to do.
Taki snapped his fingers. His room disappeared around him. In an instant, it was replaced with the Village Gathering Hall. The hall was large and crudely circular, solid maple walls stretched out on all sides. A few villagers sat on small benches talking amongst themselves. Near the far wall was a fire pit that cast flickering orange light throughout the room. Behind the fire sat what looked to be a pile of miss-matched clothes. Taki eagerly walked over to the flames and knelt.
"Elder." He spoke slowly and clearly so she could hear. "It is me, Taki."
The pile of clothes stirred. As they moved their form became more recognizable, what originally looked to be a stack of old laundry was actually several layers of clothing. A portion at the top moved up, acting as a sort of strange hat which sat on top of a withered looking head.
"Taki. Taki," the Elder's voice was soft, just barely audible over the growl of the fire. "You are done already?" her wrinkles cast eerie shadows across her ancient face.
"Yes ma'am."
"I'm impressed. I trust your haste did not negatively effect the quality of your instrument."
"No ma'am," Taki swallowed unconsciously.
"Then hand it here child."
Taki crossed over to the Elder, his heart beating rapidly. He tried his best not to show his nervousness. A gnarled looking hand shot out from underneath the Elder's clothing. Taki slowly handed her the wand.
The Elder examined the wand. She took her time, bringing it close to her face, carefully looking at every detail. "Unicorn hair," said the Elder.
"Yes," replied Taki, though it sounded as if she had been talking to herself rather than to him.
"Flagrate," said the Elder softly. Suddenly a light appeared at the end of the wand. Taki's heart jumped. She was testing it. Though the wand felt perfect in his hands, he was afraid there was something he had overlooked; some criteria that she was looking for that he was unaware of.
The Elder waved the wand around her, a golden beam of light trailed the tip creating a looped design in midair. Taki tried to read her expression but her face was impassive as she studied the now elaborate floating gold design.
After a while the Elder handed the wand back to Taki. "Well, it's a little springy."
Taki nodded.
"But overall it's a good wand. You can now continue with your classes."
Taki felt himself smile, though he usually tried to contain his emotions around the Elder. "Thank you ma'am."
"Don't thank me. You've earned it." The wrinkles around the Elder's mouth lifted a little, giving him what appeared to be a smile. "You are taking the first step into a powerful world. Being able to use a Wizard's magic is a very exciting, but also very dangerous for us." She paused for a moment stressing the seriousness of her words. "Now, continue with your journey Free Elf."
"Three extra years of schooling is a long time," said Headmaster Dippet from the podium. "The classes are rigorous and the days are long. The majority of the students who apply do not make it past the first year," his voice echoed throughout the great hall. The Headmaster spoke as if he was addressing the entire room but there were less than a dozen students in attendance. All seventh years. Rowan recognized most of them, many were fellow Prefects.
"The few of you who have been chosen to be here," continued Dippet. "Are exceptional students. To become an Auror you will need to receive an Exceeds Expectations on your Charms, Potions, Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T.s. This is no small feat. However, your professors have assured us that all of you are on the right track to doing this."
Dippet was stating facts that everyone was already quite aware of. The Headmaster was considerably old and it was visible in his appearance. Though his beard was still thick, his hair was thinning. Under his pointed cap long white strands hung loosely past his shoulders. His fare, fragile looking skin was the texture of ancient parchment. Rowan felt that as the Headmaster grew older his speeches grew longer. She tried to contain a smile as sh3e remembered how the Sorting Hat barked at him "Shut up already you old coat rack." during the opening ceremonies this year. As the headmaster continued Rowan tried to focus her thoughts and not let her mind wonder. Her occlumency training was coming in handy, she tried not to think about the ridiculousness of having to use occlumency tactics merely to stay awake during Dippet's addresses.
A couple of the other students were starting to get a bit restless. With the corner of her eye, Rowan could see Paul Parish, a tall Gryffindor, playing with his wand behind his back. He was slyly prodding the student next to him causing the Ravenclaw to fidget in place as he tried to remain attentive.
"And I would like to think that even Merlin would likely approve," said the headmaster after a great while. "And now here is the representative from the Auror office, mister Gaven Cross." Dippet gestured to a man sitting at the table next to him and clapped his hands. The man stood up and slowly walked to the podium. He was a tall, lanky man with shoulder length blond hair, his face was handsome and a smile graced his sharp features. To Rowan he looked like someone from the Ministry of Magic more than an Auror.
"Thank you Professor Dippet." Said Gaven Cross giving the Headmaster a nod. "As you all well know the life of an Auror is not an easy one and I applaud all of you for your exploratory status in Hogwarts. As your Headmaster pointed out, only a small percentage of students who study to become Aurors actually finish their training, with the vast majority dropping out in their first few months. It is not uncommon for several years to pass without any new recruits," cross paused for a moment. It looked to Rowan that he was judging their reaction to his statement. "Fortunately, since Grindelwald's defeat nearly a decade ago his followers here in Great Britain have been in complete shambles and have found themselves in Azkaban or sent to Nurmengard to rot with their former master," the Auror's smile widened as he glanced around the room. Rowan felt her posture straighten as his hazel eyes met hers.
"Be that as it may," Cross continued."We must always be vigilant and be prepared for anything that followers of the Dark Arts may throw at us. So, in order to further prepare future Aurors, we have been working with Hogwarts to create a program where a select number of extraordinary students can begin their training early. With any luck this will better prepare you for the three years of intense schooling you will have to go through after this school year.
"Each of you will be given an assignment, a partner, and an Auror as a guide. I will also likely accompany you on any tasks we send you on. It is also important to note that up until this time, during your stay in Hogwarts, you have been surrounded by your fellow housemates, this is not a common occurrence in the real world. As an Auror it is imperative that you work closely with witches and wizards who have come from all houses so we will assign you to be partners with someone in a rival house."
The students collectively gasped.
"What?" said Paul, the tall Gryffindor, in disbelief.
Rowan could hear soft mummers of displeasure around her. She half expected the Auror to scold them for their reaction and Paul's thoughtless outburst. But his face remained the same, wearing a small grin as he surveyed the room.
"Now," Cross produced a scroll from his robes."I will read the names of your designated Auror followed by the two students," he cleared this throat. "Seris Berry will be assigned to Harald Yates and Clara Newman. Vincent Former will be assigned to Julius Hearstgrove and Robert Smith. Mister Alastor Moody will be assigned to Rowan Harper," Rowan's heart stopped at the sound of her name. "and Paul Parish," she balked unconsciously.
She could not stand Paul. Paul Parish was the arrogant keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. With his dark brown hair and masculine features he might have been good looking if it was not for the permanent smirk on his face, which contorted his features into a perpetual cocky expression. Rowan looked over at her new partner, he gave her a sly wink. Rowan rolled her eyes. She tried to listen to the rest of Cross' speech but the dread of having to work with Paul was weighing heavily on her mind.
"Thank you very very much Mister Cross," Dippet said after the Auror finished. "As I stated earlier," the Headmaster turned to the audience again. "You are all quite fortunate to be a part of this opportunity," for a second Rowan was afraid that Dippet was going to start on another long winded speech but Cross cleared his throat loudly, causing the Headmaster to look around and regain focus. "Yes. Well now, this is an exciting time for all of you. Those of you that are Prefects remember to tell the Head Boy which days you will be gone so that he can arrange for a replacement."
Rowan could not contain a small grin at the mention of the Head Boy. She liked having any excuse to talk to Tom Riddle.