Chapter 9: The Ultimate Shield

July 23, 2007

Hermione walked alongside Bella in Diagon Alley the next morning, chatting away merrily.

"I'm so glad you asked if I could accompany you this morning, Bella. I usually have loads meetings on Mondays, but it's been a fairly slow weekend. I haven't seen someone get their first wand in years, and I'm incredibly curious how it will work out for you."

"Me too," Bella nodded politely. Hermione was nice and frankly a far better choice than some of the other Weasleys to accompany her, but she wasn't so sure she and the famed heroine would ever progress beyond a casual acquaintance.

She wouldn't have asked for help at all, but Harry began giving her a detailed description of the floo network and the sensation of being suctioned through a tube made of fireplaces, and she felt nauseous by the end of it all.

They arrived at the wand shop, and Bella followed behind the short witch – her nerves abuzz with uncertainty.

"Bella Swan," Mr. Ollivander peered out from a dusty aisle filled to the brim with narrow boxes. "And Ms. Weasley – a pleasant surprise."

Returning briefly to whatever task Ollivander had started, Bella could hear the sound of shuffling for several long seconds. Then the wandmaker appeared again, carrying three wand boxes and setting them carefully at the counter.

Bella faced him nervously. His eyes looked more intense than usual, as if that were possible, and he strummed the wand boxes in a deep, contemplative rhythm. "These wands, Bella Swan, have been among the most challenging I have ever encountered or conceived in my days as a wandmaker. They are each powerful in their own right and not to be taken lightly. I will only ask once, so consider carefully. Are you ready?"

She nodded her head quickly. "Yes." She wasn't completely certain she was ready at all, but Bella knew she could never let this last chance slip through her fingers. "I have to try."

"Very well." Ollivander drew a long, solid black wand from the box nearest her. "Here is the first. Ebony and Erumpent hide. Twelve and one-half inches."

"Erumpet?" Hermione visibly twitched at the mention of the core. "Are you quite sure that's safe?"

"I understand the reservations the Ministry may have concerning the wand cores I have chosen, but rest assured that I have tested them fully, and they are only as powerful as the witch or wizard who may wield them."

She didn't appear completely pacified, but Hermione gradually relented, and Mr. Ollivander placed the first wand in Bella's hand.

It felt flat and off, and after an unsuccessful wave of the wand she returned it to its box with acute disappointment, but Mr. Ollivander seemed undeterred as he held out the second box.

"No matter. Honduran Rosewood and Incubus hair. Eleven inches. Unyielding."

Bella gasped as the core registered in her mind. "Incubus? As in...hair from a vampire?"

"It was an idea that failed in its first several attempts. However after discovering a particular vampire with certain attributes it seems I may have discovered the missing piece of the puzzle," he stared at her knowingly.

"What was the vampire's name?" What if it was Edward, or a Cullen, or someone who knew them? Bella's insides trembled with anxiety.

"Their name is no matter, Bella Swan. I suggest you push all thoughts of their kind from your mind and focus only on what is inside you."

Well that was impossible, but Bella did try to focus with all her might as she picked up the wand.

...

...

Nothing.

No! That couldn't be it. Bella had always felt a kind of connection to the vampires, even after Edward had left her broken in the woods, but this wand not working made that feeling shatter like a blunted axe to the last root of a dying tree. After several seconds and a few desperate attempts at waving it around, the wand still lay limply in her hand, and she finally placed it back in the box, feeling humbled and defeated.

"I thought that one would work."

"As did I, my dear, but do not despair. Try the last wand."

He held out the last box, and Bella was immediately struck by the deep chocolate color of the wood. It was a rich, brown hue, much like the color of her eyes but joined with streaks of black which wrapped around the entire wand like a thousand tiny threads.

"Kingwood and Manticore spine. Nine and three-quarter inches. Impenetrable."

"Manticore spine?" Hermione's mouth fell open. "Manticores are Class Five category beasts! A single sting is instantly fatal, how on earth did you manage it?"

"With great difficulty and the aid of a certain half-giant," Ollivander said, "and yet, in the pursuit of such novelty, it was worth the effort in the end."

Hermione pursed her lips, disapproval clear in her features, but Bella didn't care. This was her last chance. Her hand hovered hesitantly over the wand until she finally grabbed it and held her breath.

Instantly she felt a tingle in her fingers. The wand, which had shone in dark ridges, now glowed in her hand. A wand chose her! She had magic!

Ollivander stroked his chin methodically. "It appears, Bella Swan, that you have been chosen by your equal. The ultimate shield."

"I don't understand—"

"It's an intriguing phenomenon," Hermione admitted, somewhat warily. "Kingwood is said to be imbued with incredible will-power, not to mention it's the most powerful wood for blocking spells in existence." Her increasing fascination of the idea appeared to gradually overshadow the witch's reservations concerning the core, and she began to speak more animatedly. "And the skin of the manticore is so strong that it repels every charm known to wizarding kind. You're probably holding the most powerful wand for blocking spells that the world has ever seen!"

"Oh..." She let a surprised exhale. "So does this mean I'm a witch?"

"Perhaps," Ollivander mused, "and perhaps not. It is clear you have magic, but as it is confined to a rather obscure branch there are some who may not know how to interpret your talents. Ms. Weasley, do you care to offer any insight on the matter?"

Hermione's eyes narrowed in deep thought. "If she can wield the wand and perform any spells, then that would currently classify her as a witch according to the specifications listed by the Ministry, though the present scope of her abilities ranks closer to some sort of squib than a full-fledged witch."

"A muggleborn squib?" Bella raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that kind of an oxymoron?"

"Of course it is," Hermione snapped, clearly frustrated. "There must be a term, something I'm missing. Surely a phenomenon like this would be mentioned in a book somewhere..."

"In the meantime," Mr. Ollivander politely interrupted, "you must learn to utilize your wand to the fullest, Bella Swan. It has chosen you for a purpose we cannot understand. Let it guide the magic within you, and become one with your destiny."

His words echoed in her ears, and the wand still tingled in her hand. "I will."