Chapter 9

Finally it was time to go to Hogwarts. The group gathered to take a trip to Diagon Alley. Bill was currently in Egypt while Charlie was in Romania. Nymphadora was still training and her parents were taking on a tough case and couldn't make it. That left the Meadows, the Lovegoods, the remaining Weasley family and Sirius and Remus.

'I wish I was going to Hogwarts too!' Ginny whined.

'You and Luna will be able to join us next year' Evangeline replied with a smile.

'I hope I get into Gryffindor' Ron said nervously.

'I just hope I get in. It doesn't matter to me what house I'm in' Ebony replied.

'Yeah but you don't want to be in Slytherin house do you?!' Ron cried.

'I don't think there's anything wrong with the house. After all, daddy says it's what you do that makes you good or bad, not who you are' Evangeline replied.

Ron huffed but couldn't find a counter argument to that.

'I think I'd like to be in Ravenclaw' Luna mused.

'Ravenclaw would be good if you like to learn lots of things. I don't know what house I'll be in. Grampa and uncle Sirius say I can be really sneaky when I want to be, so I could be right for Slytherin. But then daddy says I'm really brave and that's a Gryffindor quality. And then there's loyalty for Hufflepuff' Evangeline said.

She then giggled.

'But then all of us have all four qualities. I think everyone has all of the qualities, and it's just a case of working out which one shines out the most'.

'Then I've got no luck. I'm not really brave, or smart, or sneaky. Guess that means Hufflepuff for me' Ron said gloomily.

'There's nothing wrong with Hufflepuff. Percy told me Cedric down the street is in Hufflepuff, and he's really nice. Besides you can be brave when you want to be' Ginny said.

'You don't need to worry. You'll go where you're supposed to go' Luna said.

Ron's reply was interrupted.

'Come on everyone, time to go!' Molly called out.

They had all met up in the Burrow bright and early to floo to Diagon Alley. The Lovegoods went first, followed by Remus, Sirius with Ebony, Julian with Evangeline and the Meadows, and then finally the Weasley family.

'Right then. Gringotts first. Then we'll split up and see to books, uniforms and what not until lunch. Then we'll all head to the wand store' Molly said.

'Ebony you're with me. Julian will take Evangeline, Jonathan you and Percy can pair up. Arthur and Molly with Ron and Ginny. Xenophilius and Selene will of course take Luna. Sirius, Remus, we're trusting you two to behave with Fred and George' Rose said.

'What do you mean trusting us?!' Sirius complained, which gave the group a chuckle.

Rose, Molly and Selene had sorted out the plan of action before leaving, so everyone picked their child and set off for the bank. With cash in hand the group split up.

'What's say we hit the joke shop?' Sirius asked with a grin.

The twins gave a cheer but Remus frowned.

'Sirius they don't need more material for pranks'.

'Aw come on Moony…!'

'Yeah Moony, we gotta see the new stock!'

'After all how are we supposed to keep up…'

'With the famous Padfoot, Prongs and Moony…'

'If we don't have the supplies?'

Sirius barked a laugh when Remus caved to the twin's pleading look. He was glad these two were the ones to find the map.

'Fine, but not for long. Molly will have our hides if we aren't finished by lunch'.

Sirius swung an arm round his lover and herded the group to Zonko's.

An hour later Remus finally managed to get the three out and they were able to pick up the third year book list and some parchment and quill sets. A couple of robes later and the group were rushing to meet the others, thankfully only ten minutes late.

OOO

'I reckon you'll make a fine prefect Percy' Jonathan said.

His charge smiled proudly as they picked up the fifth year book list and went on to the next shop. They were the first to arrive back at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch and spent the time talking about their interests. They were joined soon after by the Lovegoods who didn't need to do much shopping and really only went for some more potion ingredients and a few books.

OOO

'Alright you two, uniforms first' Molly said, steering the group to Madam Malkin's. She gave Ron a glare when he groaned.

'Daddy could I look around?' Ginny asked.

Arthur smiled.

'Come on and we'll both look around. I'm sure we'll find you something nice'.

It took a while to get the measurements, and they were joined by Ebony and Rose part way through.

'Just give me a moment deary and I'll be right with you' Madam Malkin said as she fussed with Ron.

'Take your time, we're in no rush' Rose replied as Ebony went over to chat with his friend.

'Nearly done Ron?'

'I hope so. I've been standing here for ages!' the red head whined.

Ebony sniggered and turned to look through the clothes on the racks. A few minutes later Ron was finished to his relief and Ebony was called over.

'Just the usual set deary?' Madam Malkin asked.

'Yes please' he replied and stretched out his arms to be measured.

He glanced over as the door chime went and a boy around his age came in.

'Won't be long deary' Madam Malkin called.

Ebony frowned as the blonde boy sneered at the woman before looking round the store. He remembered Sirius talking about the Malfoy family. This must be Draco. Ebony knew it wasn't polite to judge someone by first appearances, but he had a feeling he really wasn't going to like this boy. His frowned deepened when the blonde spotted Ron and started to insult the red head. The oncoming fight was prevented by the adults and the blonde sneered as he came over to Ebony.

'What a pathetic family. Father says they should have stopped at one child, or not had any at all' he droned.

Ebony stifled the urge to scowl at the blonde.

'The Weasley family have been very nice to me and all of Mr and Mrs Weasley's children are smart and kind. What have they ever done to you to make you insult them?'

'Do you know who you are talking to?! My name is Draco Malfoy and my family has been around for generations. The Weasleys are just blood traitors!' the blonde sneered.

'Does it really matter how long your family has been around? I was always taught that it's not who you are but what you do that makes you a good or bad person. You might be classed as a powerful or rich family, but that doesn't mean you are good people'.

Ebony sighed.

'I shouldn't be going off on a rant. I just don't like you insulting my friends. Everyone has their own views, and we should all respect that'.

He stepped down when Madam Malkin told him he was done, and looked to the blonde.

'It's nice to meet you Draco Malfoy. My name is Ebony Meadow. I'd say I hope to see you again in Hogwarts, but I have a feeling you'll find any excuse you can to hate me'.

He turned from the boy and went with his granny to pay for the clothes. Out the corner of his eye he saw Draco turn red with either anger or embarrassment, but the blonde said nothing as the group left the store. The Weasleys had more shopping to do so they parted ways.

OOO

'Where to first?' Julian asked.

'There are some junk stores around. Can we start there?' Evangeline asked, giving him the puppy dog eyes.

With a grin he nodded and they set off for the nearest store. The two had a knack for finding something special amongst what others thought of as junk. So it was no surprise that by the time they were done in each store, they managed to uncover a chess board with no pieces, which Julian said he would get Evangeline from another store; a pack of self sorting cards; a revealer; a pair of omnioculars with a missing lens which was easily fixed; a broken remembrall that resisted any attempts to fix it, though Julian was sure it just required a potion; and a bag that was enlarged inside. When they later checked inside they found to their delight that it contained a probity probe, a foe-glass, a set of two way mirrors, a secrecy sensor and a small sneakoscope. Obviously the last owner was a very cautious person. Julian also bought up all of the broken wands as a gift to his mother who could use the components in her potions.

Their next stop was the book store, where Evangeline happily picked up those on her list, plus a few others that weren't already in the Meadow's library. She was able to fit all of them in her new bag. The trunk store was next and a standard school trunk was bought and shrunk down to fit in Evangeline's bag. Then they bought parchment, ink, quills, potion ingredients and an advanced potion kit. Spending all that time with a potion mistress made both of them very efficient in the subject. Evangeline also picked up a lunascope and an astronomical model to help with astronomy. It was decided they would leave the uniforms until last and the two headed to the animal stores. They met up with Rose and Ebony who were admiring a snowy white owl. Evangeline thought it was gorgeous and that quickly made up Ebony's mind to buy it. He and his granny stuck around to see what Evangeline would find for a familiar. She couldn't find anything in the first store so they moved to the second. There she uncovered a Carbuncle right at the very back of the store. The little creature was the exact shade of turquoise as her and her daddy's eyes, its own eyes a bright blue with a red jewel on its head. She quickly bought fell in love with it. Rose mentioned to her that a Carbuncle wasn't on the pet list for Hogwarts, and that she would have to write to ask permission to bring it with her. Evangeline replied with a cheeky grin that if the Carbuncle wasn't allowed then she would just have to get a second pet. Julian ruffled her hair while Ebony laughed and said he wished he'd thought of that. They parted ways and Julian took Evangeline to Madam Malkin's. Half an hour later she was all kitted up and they arrived at the leaky cauldron with minutes to spare.

OOO

'Granny can we go to the book store first?' Ebony asked.

'Of course we can dear. Come on then' Rose replied and they weaved their way through the busy streets.

The Meadow library had a vast selection of books both magical and not, all held in bookcases enchanted with wizard space. It meant that apart from his school books, there were very few others that caught Ebony's eye. He did pick up one describing the A to Z of magical creatures, thinking it would be an interesting read and wanting to have a skill with animals like his big brother. He also spotted Hogwarts: A History and reached up to grab it. His hand collided with that of a bushy haired girl and they both jumped back.

'Sorry! Here you can have it' she offered.

'No that's ok, you go ahead. You got to it first' Ebony replied with a smile.

Smiling back the girl lifted it from the shelf.

'Maybe there's another copy. We could ask at the desk' she said.

He nodded and told his granny where he was going.

'My name's Ebony' he greeted.

'I'm Hermione Granger. I was ever so excited to get my letter. My parents don't have any magic you see. They were shocked when professor McGonagall came to our house. I'm really looking forward to going to Hogwarts' she rushed out.

Ebony grinned at her enthusiasm.

'My mum was like you, she had non magical parents as well. My dad was what wizards call a pureblood, so that sorta makes me a half blood'.

'Your mum was a muggleborn as well? How many muggleborns are there? I'd love to meet her' Hermione asked.

Ebony chewed his lip.

'You won't be able to meet her. See, she and my dad, died when I was a baby. I was adopted into another family'.

'Oh I'm sorry! That was stupid of me' Hermione whispered guiltily.

Ebony smiled at her.

'It's ok. I've been told lots of stories about them from my uncle and my godfather. And I've got lots of pictures of them. I'm happy with my granny and grampa. And when I was adopted I got a new sister and big brother. Evangeline my sister got her Hogwarts letter this year as well. She's with my brother Julian somewhere in Diagon Alley'.

Hermione gave him a small smile and they headed to the desk to ask the clerk about the book. The man found another copy and they rang up their purchases.

'So do you have any siblings Hermione? What do your parents do?' Ebony asked.

'They're dentists. And I'm an only child. I don't mind really, but I was bullied a lot at school and it would have been nice to have a brother or sister looking out for me' She replied.

Ebony shuddered.

'Sorry, I really don't like going to the dentist'.

She giggled.

'Not many people do. My dad works in the local offices while my mum's a private dentist'.

'Well at least that means free treatment for you huh?' Ebony said.

She nodded her agreement with a smile.

'I'm sorry you were bullied. Evangeline and I have a group of friends of all ages. You could hang around with us if you want. We won't bully you' he then offered.

She went wide eyed and chewed her lip.

'You really think they'd want me in the group?'

'Of course. All of us have different qualities. Evangeline and Luna, she's going to Hogwarts next year, they like to think outside the box. The twins Fred and George are third years, and they love to prank people. Harmless pranks though. Cedric's in Hufflepuff and he's really nice and good at quidditch. Ron's wicked good at chess and loves quidditch. Percy's very book smart, he's in fifth year and a prefect. And Ginny, who's also going to Hogwarts next year, she's a bit shy but a bit of a tom boy, you really don't want to mess with her. And then there's me, and I'm just…well me' Ebony said.

Hermione smiled shyly.

'I'd…I'd like that Ebony'.

'Miss Granger have you finished?' came a voice.

They both turned to find a stern looking woman watching them.

'Oh, yes professor. I'm done' Hermione replied.

She looked back at Ebony.

'It was nice meeting you. I'll see you on the train?'

'Nice meeting you as well. See you then' Ebony agreed.

He noticed the woman giving him a look and smiled politely as he went of in search of his granny.

'All done?' she asked.

'Yep. I met a new friend as well. Her name's Hermione. She doesn't really have many friends so I invited her to hang around with us when we get to Hogwarts' Ebony replied.

Rose smiled at her grandson.

'That's very nice of you dear. I'm sure she'll love making some new friends. Now then I'd say our next stop is Madam Malkin's'.

The rest of their shopping passed quickly. Ebony spotted Hermione a few times and waved at her on passing. The last thing on his list before lunch was to find a familiar. It didn't take him long to spot a beautiful snowy white owl. Evangeline and Julian met them in the store and convinced Ebony that the owl was perfect for him. They then waited to see what Evangeline would pick. Ebony grinned when his sister discovered a perfect familiar for her, and the Carbuncle was quickly snatched up. He and his granny left them and browsed a few more stores until it was time to meet up for lunch.

OOO

'I can't wait to get a wand! Fred and George keep showing off theirs. Mum says I would have got Charlie's old wand but instead I get to have my own!' Ron exclaimed excitedly.

Molly and Arthur smiled at their son. With Sirius Black free Amelia Bones started an investigation on how he got in Azkaban in the first place. Her findings led to a few dark hearted individuals loosing their high paid job. And after a rather long argument with the Minister over who should fill the positions, Fudge finally caved under Amelia's threats to have him thrown out of office and Arthur was promoted. The pay wasn't the highest in the world, but it did mean no more second hand shops and even a few treats for the family.

Ebony and Evangeline were just as excited as their friend. They'd been taught plenty of theory, and Evangeline was sometimes allowed to try simple spells with her daddy's wand, but to actually be able to do proper magic and have their own wands would be brilliant. The group entered Ollivander's and Ron eagerly went over and rang the bell. They waited a few moments. Ebony watched his older brother's gaze with a smile. No one, even those who were invisible, could get past Julian.

'Quite the crowd we have today'.

Ebony, Evangeline and Julian were the only ones who didn't jump when Mr Ollivander appeared.

'The Weasley family. A good set of strong bonded wands there. And the Lovegood family, good and flighty wands. And quite the unique wands of the Meadow family. So who would like to go first?' The old man asked with a smile.

Ron went first and after a while bonded with a fourteen inch willow with a Unicorn's hair core. While he stood waving it around and shooting out sparks at his brothers, Evangeline got measured for her wand.

'Very much like your father I see. I ran out of wands to give to young Julian. Created him quite the unusual one' Ollivander said after twenty minutes, handing the girl yet another wand.

Evangeline took it but felt nothing. A bit downhearted she glanced at Julian.

'Don't worry. Wands are tricky at times. You'll find one' he reassured.

'Indeed' Mr Ollivander agreed.

He headed to the back of his shop and they heard him rummaging about.

'The bark of the weeping willow is a rare wood to use for a wand. It is the tree of dreaming, intuition and deep emotions. Wands made from it are usually classed as light wands. However the weeping willow wands are actually good for grey magic. It's hard to find a core match for such a wood. Hmm…' he was heard muttering as he browsed.

Evangeline looked up at her daddy as the old man pottered away.

'You got weeping willow didn't you? What core did you get daddy?'

Julian fidgeted a little.

'I…well I…'

He was saved from answering as Mr Ollivander came back.

'I believe this one might do. It's an odd combination, and made on a whim. Ten inches, weeping willow with a single strand of hair from a young black Unicorn. The only one of its kind'.

He held it out and Evangeline closed her hand round it. She felt a rush of power as silver sparks sprung from it. Mr Ollivander clapped his hands looking pleased.

'Very good! Now then who is next?'

Grinning Evangeline pushed Ebony forward. Nervously he reached out for the first offered wand. An hour later and the group were starting to get bored. Mr Ollivander however was becoming more and more excited. At least someone was Ebony thought to himself, handing back what seemed like the hundredth wand.

'Perhaps this one. Holly with a Phoenix feather' Mr Ollivander mused, handing over the wand.

Ebony reached out to take it, only to jump back in horror when it exploded.

'Wicked!' the twins grinned.

'I'm sorry! I'll pay for it!' Ebony cried.

The old man though looked ready to jump up and down with glee.

'I believe Mr Meadow that you might be in need of a custom wand. Come, come follow me'.

He turned and walked off without another word, muttering happily to himself. Bemused Jonathan led Ebony to the back of the shop.

'Ah, it's always good to make a wand from scratch. Not had much made these past few years. Alright then Mr Meadow, over there are samples of wood from just about every tree available. I'd like you to reach out and have a feel of them. Any that seem to jump into your hand you bring to me' Mr Ollivander said.

Nodding Ebony went over to the huge display of wood. He reached out and ran his fingers gently over them, waiting to see what would react. It took a while but eventually one literally did jump into his hand. He double checked to be sure before bringing the wood over to Mr Ollivander.

'Well now let's see. Ah, this particular piece was harvested by my great great grandfather by a relatively young but rather stubborn hornbeam tree. Not a rare tree but a sturdy one, nevertheless a rare wood to be used in wand making. In fact I believe I've only ever had four pieces in stock. A wand made from this will be a very strong partner, and very temperamental to anyone other than its owner. I wouldn't recommend letting your friends borrow it, the results may not be pretty. Now that we have our wood, we need a core. Over there is all the cores I and my family have gathered over the years. This time I want you to try to reach out with your magic and get a feel for them. You may find more than one core will respond' he said with a grin.

Ebony nodded and headed to the rows of shelves. Most of the cores he recognised as his granny used them in her potions. A few, such as feathers, he couldn't figure out what being they came from. Nothing at first called to him, which was a pity as he quite liked the look of some of the phoenix feathers and shimmering scales. Eventually though he was drawn towards a glass jar. He peered inside, not entirely sure what he was looking at. Shrugging he picked the jar up and continued. The second item that called to him he correctly identified as a Dragon heartstring. Nothing else was calling to him so he took the two cores back to Mr Ollivander. The old man took the jars from him and examined them.

'You certainly like to shake things up. Very much like your siblings. Ash from a Lethifold. An exceedingly hard ingredient to get as such creatures aren't killed easily. One would automatically assume it would mean a dark wand, but that is not the case. The first Lethifold was created accidentally by a witch, and at first was used for good. Her child had been taken with an illness and she desperately needed a blanket to help keep the child warm while she gathered the necessary ingredients to create a cure. Her magic reacted to her need and a living blanket was made. With relief she tucked it around the child and left to see to a cure. This living blanket at first merely had the desire to keep those in its folds warm and comforted. However when the witch made her desperate plea, the only substance around her that could be used was the shadows themselves. And shadows have a way of changing. It didn't take long for the living blanket to begin curling itself a bit too tightly around the child, or start to cover the child from head to toe. Eventually the witch realised the dangers and threw it out. It searched for a new child to curl round, and as it did it took in a bit of each shadow it passed through. With too much shadow, it split into two. Two became four, and so on until there were hundreds of them. And with each new living blanket, another child was in danger of being smothered. When a child wasn't found, they curled themselves round adults, slowly but surely becoming the creatures we know as Lethifolds today. The name Lethifold is quite new, only a hundred or so years old'.

'Wow!' Ebony gasped in fascination.

'That's quite the history lesson' Jonathan agreed in amazement.

Mr Ollivander chuckled.

'Yes we research into all of our ingredients. Quite a pity that the story doesn't tell us how to stop the creatures. I confess that I haven't a clue how the one to provide the ash was killed. The other core has quite the story as well. A heartstring from a White Lightning Dragon. A small beast in comparison to others, but one of the most fierce when it wanted to be. The species just seemed to appear out of nowhere. A blazing white Dragon with the palest of blue under its wings. People used to say it could travel through time due to its immense speed. There is a legend that at a time of great suffering, a White Lightning appeared to end the fighting and stop the killings. I do believe it has a shrine somewhere in Japan'.

'So, what would that mean, for me I mean?' Ebony asked curiously, staring with wonder at the heartstring.

'It would mean that this wand will be quite unique, as you are. The bond between you and it will be incredibly strong and it will be able to tune itself to your emotions. In a pinch it will provide the needed burst of speed, and I daresay even the smallest spell will be done in a big way' the old man replied with a grin.

He went over to his workstation and set up a small cauldron. Ebony and Jonathan went over to watch him work.

'I shall eagerly await the next Meadow to walk through my doors with wands like these' Mr Ollivander chuckled as he shook the ash into the cauldron.

Ebony glanced to Jonathan.

'Grampa. What core did Julian get? And why didn't he want to say?'

Jonathan smiled and ruffled Ebony's hair.

'It wasn't that he didn't want to say. You see Mr Ollivander had exhausted his wands in stock so decided to create a custom wand for Julian. However none of the cores responded to him, no matter what he did' he explained.

'Yes it was quite frustrating for the lad. I mentioned that perhaps some form of creature blood may be the cause. Quite the surprise I got when I was told exactly what creature type the lad had' Mr Ollivander continued as he worked.

Jonathan chuckled.

'Yes we may have scared a few years from you. You see Ebony when Mr Ollivander was told Julian was part Demon he asked to see the Demon side. Demon seemed to understand that we were there to get a wand, and actually scoffed at all the cores before picking up the block of weeping willow and providing his own core'.

'I shall never forget that encounter. A Demon, mocking my ability to match wands with magical folk! To be truthful I'm not even sure there is an actual core in young Mr Meadow's wand. It has been infused with Demon magic. Quite simply one of the most magnificent wands I've created, and all I did was shape the block of wood' Mr Ollivander laughed.

'Oh. So wait does that mean that because of Demon, Julian can now use Demon magic through his wand?' Ebony asked.

'I believe so' Jonathan replied.

The conversation ended when Mr Ollivander brought out Ebony's wand. It was a thing of beauty. The hornbeam shaped in a spiral that seemed to reflect the light, with the handle carved out to resemble a large leaf curled round it. Ebony could see a speckle of light at the tip.

'There we are. The wood of the hornbeam tree with Lethifold ash and White Lightning Dragon heartstring. I took the liberty of placing a tiny emerald at the tip. It serves no real purpose but I believe it gives the wand a nice finish'.

He held it out and Ebony slowly took it. It felt as though every cell in his body was charged with electricity and he watched in awe as it shot out gold sparks. Mr Ollivander clapped.

'Very good! I can see you doing great things, Mr Meadow'.

He led the two back out to the front of the shop.

'About time!' Ron exclaimed in relief.