Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, I do not own.
A/N If you're interested in what each character's wand symbolizes (Harry's is the same, the three OC's have wands I created specifically for them) then there is a page for wand wood symbolism and wand core meaning on Harry Potter Wikia. I spent more time than I care to admit choosing each wand wood for them.
In any case, enjoy this chapter. We're that much closer to getting to Hogwarts and the real adventure starting. I hope you enjoy. Please review and tell me what you think of the story!
Harry had never imagined such a wonderful place. Diagon Alley was full of people and strange shops and odd objects. It was hard to believe he was in this magical place just because of a letter. Hagrid led him through the streets and helped him get his school supplies. With only one nasty run in with a pale, blond boy, Harry was having a grand day.
It was right outside the Apothecary, trying to tell Hagrid he didn't need a birthday present from him, that he heard his name being called.
"Harry!" He and Hagrid both turned in surprise. Serena Larkin was standing a few yards away, curly hair straightened for the day and wearing a green pea coat and matching suede boots. As Harry caught her eye, Serena came running over. When she reached him, she threw her arms around him, trapping his arms against his sides as she hugged him.
"Serena, what are you doing here?" Harry asked in confusion. Could it be possible that his best friend was somehow a witch as well?
"Shopping for Hogwarts." She said as though it were obvious, finally detaching herself and pulling away to smile at him. "I wanted to tell you that we were both going but mum said that Dumbledore said we had to wait to tell you you were a wizard." She said it all in one breath, with the widest smile on her face Harry had ever seen. She looked like the Cheshire cat.
"'Ello there." Hagrid spoke up and Serena seemed to notice him for the first time, which was odd considering his size compared to her.
"This is Hagrid. He's helping me get all my stuff. Hagrid, this is my friend, Serena Larkin." Harry introduced them and their shook hands, though Serena's was completely swallowed by Hagrid's.
Ms. Larkin came hurrying over, pulling a tired looking Caitlyn by the hand.
"Serena! I turn my back for one moment and you're gone! Oh, Harry!" Harry did another round of introductions for Hagrid, Ms. Larkin and Caitlyn. As Ms. Larkin and Hagrid talked, Serena pulled Harry aside.
"Isn't shopping exciting? What do you have so far?" Hagrid was carrying Harry's cauldron, which in turn held all his supplies.
"Everything except my wand. Hagrid says he's going to get me an owl for a birthday present, even though I said-."
"Oh, Harry!" Serena gasped, her face the perfect picture of horror. "I forgot it's your birthday! We didn't celebrate together and I didn't get you anything!"
"It's fine-." Harry started, lest she think it was necessary to buy him an owl too, but Ms. Larkin interrupted them.
"Why don't you two go get your wands and Hagrid and I will get your birthday presents?" Harry opened his mouth to protest again but Ms. Larkin cut him off with instructions to the wand shop. She handed Serena some coins for her own wand and then she, Hagrid and Caitlyn hurried off.
"Come on." Serena was tugging on his hand, so he gave in and they started down the street in the opposite direction. "Isn't it great how we'll be going to Hogwarts together?" Serena tried to swing their arms but Harry kept his rigid. He was sure that Serena was ready to dance through flowered meadows with a singing unicorn herd, but he wasn't going to do it with her. Not only were they in public, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a bit peeved that she hadn't told him about the magical world he belonged to. She seemed to sense this and her happiness waned; they walked in silence.
The shop that Ms. Larkin had directed them to was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.
A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, the only furniture being a small chair by the door. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.
He glanced over at Serena and saw she was staring at the boxes in wonder too.
"Good afternoon." A soft voice said. Harry jumped and Serena let out a squeak like a frightened mouse.
An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. His hair was pure white and sticking up in odd directions and his eyes seemed to see right into their souls. Harry realized he was still holding Serena's hand like a little kid. He dropped it quickly.
"Hello." Harry returned awkwardly. Serena raised a hand in greeting.
"Ah yes... Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy. "Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it, it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes. He touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger. "And that's where... I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it. Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..."
Harry didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Mr. Ollivander turned his attention to Serena instead, who was looking rather uncomfortable already.
"And you look like your parents as well. Peter Pettigrew. Nine and a quarter inches long, brittle, made of chestnut. And Tamara Larkin. Ten inches, pliable, made of beech." He recounted, looking Serena up and down. When he was done, he pulled a measuring tape out of his pocket. "Ladies first, Ms. Pettigrew. Which is your wand arm?"
"Uh... I'm right handed. And it's Larkin."
"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Serena from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and around her head. As he measured, he continued speaking to them. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Ms. Pettigrew, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between Serena's nostrils for whatever reason, was doing it all on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes. "That will do." He said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor.
Serena looked over her shoulder at Harry, who had retreated to the chair by the door in an attempt to stay out of the way. Harry shrugged at her, not sure what she wanted him to do about the odd situation they were in.
"Try this one. Eleven inches, alder wood, dragon heart-string." Mr. Ollivander handed it to Serena and instructed her to give it wave. She did. Nothing happened, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it back with a shake of his head. "No, no, that's not right."
Mr. Ollivander had her try several different wands before handing her a nine inch mahogany wand with unicorn hair. As soon as she touched it, blue and green sparks fell from the tip like a miniature waterfall and she smiled. Mr. Ollivander grinned and congratulated her. She paid for her wand and sat in Harry's vacated chair while he found his own wand.
Many wands were discarded on the floor as Mr. Ollivander kept giving him different wands to try. Harry was beginning to get nervous, as he had gone through many more wands than Serena had. What if he was some kind of dud and not meant to have a wand at all? But, finally, he was handed a wand and, as he flicked it, a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.
"Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious..." Mr. Ollivander put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering. "Curious... curious.."
"Sorry, but what's curious?" Harry asked. Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather. Just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother, why, its brother gave you that scar." Harry swallowed audibly. "Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. Terrible, yes, but great." Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much.
He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop. On the street, Serena and Harry compared their wands. While Harry's had a noticeable handle on the bottom and was perfectly straight, Serena's was twisted like a piece of licorice and had no such handle. She said her wand was prettier than his but Harry was too busy thinking about what Mr. Ollivander had said to worry about it.
Thankfully, he was brought of his thoughts by the return of Ms. Larkin and Hagrid. Hagrid was carrying an owl cage, with a beautiful snowy owl asleep with her head tucked under her wing inside. Harry stammered his thanks over and over as he took the cage. Hagrid seemed very pleased but also very embarrassed.
Ms. Larkin had a book of wizard's stories for him as a birthday present and Caitlyn and Serena sang him Happy Birthday right there in the street. Serena because she thought it was nice and Caitlyn because she knew it would embarrass him.
The small, happy group left Mr. Ollivander's shop behind them as they went to go eat lunch together.
Muggle London and Diagon Alley were very different places, as Phoebe found out. Professor McGonagall had taken her shopping for all her school supplies and instructed her on the rules and expectations of Hogwarts until Phoebe thought her head was going to explode. But, despite the Professor's stern voice and disapproving frown, she had been nice to Phoebe and she found herself liking the Professor already.
The afternoon sun was sinking in the sky as they completed their extensive shopping. Professor McGonagall walked her down another street anyway and Phoebe glanced around at the shops out of curiosity.
She still had money in her pocket, but she fully intended on saving it. Who knew what she could get from the wizard down near the Leaky Cauldron with actual wizards money. And, now that she knew how to get into Diagon Alley, she could return to her bank vault any time she wanted. It wasn't technically hers; it was her mother's and grandparent's family vault. She should've gotten her father's vault and possessions too, since he was certainly never getting out of Azkaban, but he didn't actually leave it to her in his will. And, to be technical, he wasn't actually dead yet. He was just dead to her. If she wanted his possessions, it would be a legal battle that an eleven-year-old with no legal guardian couldn't win.
"Is there anything else you want before I take you back?" Professor McGonagall questioned, sounding hesitant to do the actual 'taking back'. Phoebe looked up from her wand, an eleven inch ebony wand with dragon heart-string core.
"I got everything on my list." She shrugged. And then some, she reminded herself. She hadn't been able to pass up getting some things from a candy shop. Considering everything that had been bought that day, her bag would've weighed a ton if it weren't for the magic that kept it light. Still, it made a clattering sound every time it swung on her belt.
"Then I guess we should be heading back." Professor McGonagall sighed, pursing her lips. Phoebe thought she had sensed pity with the Professor; she hated pity, especially when it was aimed towards her.
"Guess so." She kept her voice light and strode past the Professor towards the entrance to Muggle London as if it didn't bother her at all.
The day before the train left for Hogwarts, Thomas found himself pouring over his textbooks. He doubted he was going to be the most popular kid in school, so he was going to aim for the smartest. Besides, he wasn't going to get any practice wand-work in, so he might as well look ahead in his books. Remus had taken his wand away immediately after they'd gotten back from Diagon Alley; apparently he was afraid of what Thomas could do with it, considering what he could do without it. Until they left for Platform Nine and Three Quarters, the eleven inch spruce wand with unicorn hair would be locked up in a tall cabinet.
There was a knock on the door and Remus poked his head inside. He was looking tired and pale again. Thomas shut his book and gave his full attention to Remus.
"When you go to school tomorrow-."
"Don't tell anyone I'm part werewolf?" Thomas questioned.
"That and... Try to make friends."
"I have friends. Three of 'em. Me, myself and I. We always agree, so it's great." Thomas joked, leaning back against his headboard.
"Thomas..." Remus pinched the bridge of his nose, the sign that Thomas was getting on his nerves. He pinched the bridge of his nose a lot, Thomas had noticed. "Just try. Friends make everything a little easier."
"Alright." He agreed, mostly to end the conversation. Remus nodded, smiled at him and left him to his books.
Thomas wondered if friends were actually worth it. They seemed like a lot of work and, given the choice, he'd rather be by himself than with a group. But, if it made his dad happy, he could at least work on it. Thomas sighed and kicked his books off his bed before curling up for the night. He'd have to scout out friends tomorrow on the train...