As always, a big thank you to Ambush99 for her wonderful betaing skills.

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Chapter 25

Sirius looked down again. He and Fleamont had spent the morning in muggle London. Firstly, to the muggle hospital for a check-up, which he supposed was okay. They had reported he had been healing well, and he would be back to playing rugby and basketball in a couple of weeks. But he was glad it was over. He didn't enjoy being prodded and poked by muggle doctors, all whilst keeping his cover story that he had broken his arm when he fell off his skateboard.

Sirius looked at Mr Potter and found a smile. Mr Potter seemed to be able to read his thoughts. He seemed to know when he was scared, when he was worried, when he was stressed, and after leaving the hospital he felt all of those things. Sirius felt the tension between his shoulders. He had realised that at any moment he was going to perform accidental magic, or defensive magic as Mr Potter referred to it. But Mr Potter knew it and had taken him for a walk down the South Bank, pointing out all the historic muggle buildings. Sirius felt himself slowly relax. He felt like he needed a hundred eyes to take in everything. He had never really been to muggle London. He had never had the time to really explore it. But at the point where he had felt so stressed, when he thought he was about to blow up something in the middle of muggle London, the stress slowly faded. The darkness disappeared and he could open his eyes to the things around him. The cars. The buses. The trains. The planes flying overhead. The weird flying things with a huge fan. The muggles wearing all sorts of clothing. Muggles with brightly coloured magazines. He just wanted to stand there and take it all in. And Mr Potter seemed to know that. He had guided him to one side and sat him on a bench. Then he had sat there with his arm around him, saying nothing but just gently rubbing his arm.

"Are you okay?" Fleamont finally said.

"Yeah," Sirius started slowly. "Just, I don't know, watching."

"Have you been to muggle London?" Fleamont asked.

"No, not really," Sirius replied, shaking his head. "We passed through it obviously to get to King's Cross. Grimmauld Place is only about a twenty minute walk away, not that anyone would know, the way my parents went on about it. We never walked it. I would catch a small glimpse of it when we walked through King's Cross. But I took the tube down to Hounslow a couple of times to watch the planes coming and going from Heathrow. The first couple of times I would get odd looks, wearing wizarding robes. But I learnt to adapt."

Fleamont found himself smiling, as he thought of Sirius's adventures. "Did you enjoy the tube?"

"Yeah, I took the Piccadilly Line for most of the line. I got on at Caledonian Road and got off at Hounslow. I had a bit of a walk from Hounslow to Heathrow. But it was really cool watching the different muggles getting on and off the train – normal Londoners getting on at my stop and further west, whilst the tourist muggles got on and off around Covent Garden. If I'd thought I could've got away with it, I would have sat on it all day."

"Have you ever seen the Thames?"

"No," Sirius replied, shaking his head. "I know that's weird, as I've lived in London all my life. I grew up a couple of miles at most from it, but yeah, I've never seen it. I didn't want to risk it. The closest bit of the Thames for me is next to Charing Cross. I thought it was too risky. I thought that, knowing my bad luck, some family member or someone would see me."

Fleamont nodded understandingly. "You okay now?"

"Yeah, sorry about earlier."

"It's okay, Sirius. It's a lot to take in and I'm guessing the hospital wasn't the most pleasant of experiences."

"They were really nice, it's just, well the prodding and poking, coupled with keeping my cover story. It was a bit stressful," Sirius confessed.

"I know, I'm just sorry we couldn't see Doctor Knell, then at least you wouldn't have to keep up with the cover story."

"Yeah, but at the same time it was exciting. It was like I was an Auror or something!"

Fleamont smiled and ruffled Sirius' hair. "I guess it was. Right, what do you want to do next?"

"I," Sirius started hesitantly. He looked down. He knew he had to go to Diagon Alley, but the thought of it terrified him. What if his parents saw him? What if someone else from his family saw him? What if that man was there? Then he had to buy a wand. What if there was some test to buy a wand? What if he failed the test?

Fleamont watched as tension flooded over Sirius. "Why don't we pop over to the other side of the river? One of my colleagues told me there are some excellent muggle book shops just off Trafalgar Square."

"That would be good," Sirius replied quietly.

"Then we can get lunch somewhere in muggle London," Fleamont continued.

Sirius nodded. "That would be nice."

"Sirius, we don't have to go to Diagon Alley if you don't want to."

"But we do."

"We don't need to go there today."

"Can we, just, well go to a book shop," Sirius said hesitantly.

"Of course," Fleamont said as he stood, holding his hand and waited for Sirius to accept it, which he did. Fleamont draped his arm around Sirius' shoulders as the two of them walked towards Waterloo Bridge.

Ooo

A little while later, Sirius and Fleamont were sat in Mr Fogg's Tavern, a muggle pub just across from the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius watched as muggles walked straight past the wizarding pub, seemingly not to have noticed it, before returning his attention to his meal. Gammon and chips, with a ring of pineapple. Sirius wasn't overly convinced the pineapple deserved a place on his plate, so pushed it around.

"Are you okay, Sirius?" Fleamont asked, finishing off his pie.

"Yeah," Sirius replied distantly.

"I might ask if I can borrow one of your books. They look very interesting."

"Sure," Sirius replied, staring blankly out of the window, his food long since forgotten. The hour or so he had spent pouring over various muggle books, especially Haynes Manuals, now darkened by fear and nerves.

"Sirius, we can go home now if you want. It's already been a long day. We don't need to do this now."

"What?" Sirius stopped, as he looked down and took a breath. "What happens when you buy a wand? Do you have to do some form of a test or something? Because, if you do, I, well, I don't think I'll pass."

"Sirius?" Fleamont asked quietly. "No, there's no test. What happened when you bought your first wand?"

"I didn't. Mother and father presented it to me. It was a Mykew Gregorovitch wand. My parents didn't approve of Ollivander and his, well his beliefs that muggleborns and half-bloods should be in possession of a wand."

"And what do you think?"

"Every witch and wizard needs a wand. Most of Hogwarts have an Ollivander wand, so they can't be bad. And anyway, blood status is stupid," Sirius replied with a shrug.

"Well, there is no test. He measures you; it's like when you are measured for robes. It doesn't hurt or anything. To be honest with you Sirius, I have no idea why he does it, but he does. Ollivander is-" Fleamont paused for a moment as he tried to come up with the words. "Well, he's a little eccentric. He unnerved James a bit, but he's harmless."

"What happens?" Sirius whispered, as he learnt forward, conscious of their conversation in a muggle pub.

"Ollivander selects wands for you to try. You don't need to perform a spell or anything, you just wave it."

Sirius frowned. "How long does it take?"

"It depends. It took James about half an hour. I took most of the morning."

"What if Ollivander doesn't find a wand for me?"

"Then we go back another time. Sirius, he probably has thousands of wands. But if he doesn't find one, he can make one for you. He'll have a better understanding of your magic," Fleamont explained.

"But what if-"

"There will be a wand for you, Sirius," Fleamont reassured. "Don't worry about how long it takes. That has nothing to do with you; it's Ollivander not selecting the right wand for you."

"Okay," Sirius said slowly, as he continued to push the pineapple around his plate.

"We don't need to do this today, Sirius."

Sirius swallowed a couple of times. "No, it's okay. I can, I want to do this. I want to do this today."

"Okay," Fleamont replied, nodding.

"Can we do it now? You know, just, well just in case I lose my nerve."

"Of course," Fleamont said, patting Sirius' shoulder. "Let's do it." He watched Sirius nod tightly and stand. He draped an arm around Sirius' shoulders and guided him out of the pub and into the Leaky Cauldron. A little while later, they found themselves standing outside of Ollivander's. "Sirius, are you sure?"

"Yeah," Sirius replied, nodding and biting his lip at the same time. "I need a wand, so I need to buy one, right?"

"Okay, but if it's too much, we can leave. All I care about is you."

Sirius found a smile, not really sure of how to deal with this positive support from an adult, having never really received it in the past. "Let's do it," he said, as he pushed the door open and stepped into the dusty shop.

"Mr Potter, and," there was a slightly pause before the soft voice continued. "Mr Black, how unexpected."

"Mr Ollivander," Fleamont said, stepping forward.

"I trust everything is okay with your wand. 14" Holly with a unicorn hair core," Ollivander said in the soft voice, almost a whisper, his eyes framed by half-moon glasses, his hair white and wild.

"Yes, it continues to work like a friend with me."

"Of course. A good wand for duelling," Ollivander continued, with a raised eyebrow. "Mr Black, I have not seen anyone from your family."

"No," Sirius replied quietly.

"Are you need of wand?"

"Yes," Sirius said, as he looked down.

"What happened to your first wand?"

"It, I, well," Sirius stammered.

"Oh Sirius, you don't need to protect me," Fleamont cut in. "I had a couple of firewhiskeys. Sirius had left his wand on a side table and I knocked it off and then sat on it. Snapped it clean in two."

"Oh, well that's not good. It was, a Mykew Gregorovitch wand?"

"Yeah."

Ollivander nodded. "An excellent wand maker. I don't quite agree with his blood status views, but no matter."

"Yeah, blood status is stupid. A wizard is a wizard. A witch is a witch. Doesn't matter if they are pure blood, or muggleborn or anything in between. They are magical."

Ollivander nodded approvingly at Sirius. "Well, let's find you that wand," he said as he disappeared into the back of his shop.

"Are you okay?" Fleamont asked, as he patted Sirius' shoulder.

"Yeah," Sirius started slowly. "I see want you mean," he finished, as he watched the tape measure leap between his arms and legs.

"12" yew with dragonstring core," Ollivander said, appearing out on nowhere. "Oh, use you wand arm," he said as he watched Sirius hesitant. "Sadly, you aren't the first person with a broken wand arm I've fitted a wand for, nor will you be the last."

Sirius took the wand hesitantly. "Sorry, but-"

"No, that won't do," Ollivander said, as he ripped the wand out of Sirius' hand. "Try this. 13", holly and unicorn."

Sirius took the wand, then dropped it and backed up as several shelves exploded. "I, shit!"

"Nope, that won't do either. A tricky customer, but we will get there in the end," Ollivander said, as he skipped into the back of his shop.

Sirius leant against the counter, his head in his hands. It had been hours, and yet Ollivander still had not found the wand for him. Maybe he was a squib. He felt a gentle hand on his back, slowly rubbing it.

"Sirius, you will find a wand. Sometimes it takes a while," Fleamont said gently, as he wrapped an arm around Sirius' shoulders. "Sometimes the wizard and wand are so unique it takes time. But you are a wizard, Sirius. You are. And you are powerful one."

"Thanks Mr Potter," Sirius replied, quietly as he looked down. He frowned, as he heard a noise he couldn't identify. He managed to duck as a box shot past his head.

In one move, using movement that most would have thought a man of advanced years would not process, Fleamont threw Sirius behind him. Using his body as a shield, he drew his wand and pointed it at the box. "Ollivander!" he said sharply.

"Well, I. Well, I never!" Ollivander exclaimed, looking at the box with great interest.

"What is it?!" Fleamont said urgently.

"It's a wand. An old wand. My great, great, great, well I don't know how many greats, but grandfather made it over a thousand years ago," Ollivander said calmly, as he carefully took the wand out of the box. "Many have tried to claim its allegiance, but no one as succeeded." He looked at Sirius with an eyebrow raised. "A tricky customer bonded to a tricky wand?"

Sirius watched as Ollivander and Mr Potter exchange looks, before hesitantly accepting the wand. Even before his hand touched the wand, gold threads started connecting them. He whispered a silent pray before taking the wand. Suddenly there was this pressure, but then it left as quickly as it came. A warmth spread through his body. The darkness left. The aches and pains left. He slowly thought he could be whole again. He heard Mr Potter and Ollivander clapping, so slowly opened his eyes.

"I've never seen anything like this!" Ollivander exclaimed, as the discarded wands made their way onto the shelves and dust was cleaned from the windows. "Never in my life have I seen such a perfect match!"

"W-What?!" Sirius stammered, his hand loose but not wanting to drop the wand.

"I have been a wandmaker for more years than I care to remember. I watched my father and grandfather make and fit wands, but I have never seen what you have just done, and with a such an experimental wand."

"Mr Ollivander?" Fleamont asked, stepping in.

"It was made by my great, great, great, whatever, grandfather over a thousand years ago. He liked to play around with wands, with wood and the cores. This one is 14.5", blackthorn with a dual core of thestral tail hair and phoenix feather."

"I don't understand," Sirius said, speaking up for the first time, as he looked down at the wand which still seemed to be glowing.

"Only a handful of wands have ever been made with a dual core. Generally, the witch or wizard is powerful enough to handle the individual core, but dual? Not many can. The wood is blackthorn. I like to think of as the warrior's wood. I don't generally use the wood, nor did my forebears. The wand needs to have passed through hardship with the wizard to become truly bonded. Once this has happened, the wand will only be loyal to its master."

"And the cores?" Sirius asked hesitantly, his hand still not leaving the wand.

"The phoenix feather is powerful when it's an individual core, like the bird whom gave it's feather. It's prickly when it comes to its potential owners, but it is capable of great power. Perhaps the most powerful of cores. Then there is the Thestral tail hair. I don't use it. I find it unstable, and perhaps the hardest to work with. But if successfully mastered, it is powerful. Only a witch or wizard who is capable of accepting death can master it." Ollivander stopped, his face inches from Sirius'. "You are a strong, powerful wizard, Mr Black."

Fleamont watched Sirius' tense body for a moment before quickly stepping forward. "How much for the wand?"

"Ten galleons."

"Thank you," Fleamont said, as he handed Ollivander ten gold coins.

"And Mr Potter, you look after this one. Only a wizard who has passed through darkness, who has fought darkness and come out to the light could have mastered this wand. Dumbledore tried to master this wand, but it would not have his allegiance."

"Thank you," Fleamont repeated, as he took the box and guided Sirius out of the shop. "Hold onto me, Sirius. We are going back to our house." He wrapped his arms around the trembling boy before apparating back to Potter Manor.

"Get away from me!" Sirius exclaimed, as he backed up, feeling the accidental magic or whatever Mr Potter called it building inside of him.

"Let it out," Fleamont said calmly.

"What?!"

"Let it go. Don't hold it in," Fleamont instructed.

Sirius frowned, before exhaling. The tree next to him exploded. Some of the grass ripped up. He could hear Mr Potter's voice, before a calmness came over him. "I'm so sorry," he managed, looking at the tree.

"Sirius, you just blew off the dead part of the tree. You helped it. I was meaning to do that for a while," Fleamont said with smile, as he stepped forward and hugged Sirius. "Don't let that magic build up like that. I know today was different and it was stressful. But don't let it build up like that."

Sirius nodded slowly. "Okay," he replied quietly, his head leaning into Fleamont's shoulder. "I'm so tired."

"I know. How about we get you up to your bed?"

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I don't want to be alone."

"Okay," Fleamont replied, as he slowly guided Sirius towards the house. "How about we go into my office. We can light the fire and we can chat, or just sit there." He felt Sirius slowly nod before gently guiding him into the house. Sirius pretty much flopped onto the sofa as soon as they got there. With one arm around the young wizard, Fleamont flicked his wand towards the fire, lighting it, and then summoned a blanket.

"Fleamont?"

"Hi darling," Fleamont replied softly, before putting a finger to his lips as his wife walked in.

"How is he?" Euphemia asked, watching the sleeping boy.

"It was a long day. He's tired."

"Should I make up a dreamless sleep potion?" Euphemia asked.

"No," Fleamont answered, shaking his head. "It's too soon, but if you fetch me a tea, I would be very grateful and do all the washing up for a week," he said, adding a smile.

Euphemia returned the smile, before turning her attention to the boy whom she considered her son. "How did it go?"

"He's healing very well."

"And the wand?" Euphemia asked carefully.

"He found a perfect match with a wand as unique as he is," Fleamont said simply.

"Of course," Euphemia replied gently, as she stroked Sirius' face. "Would you like a shot of firewhiskey in that tea?"

"We haven't been married all these years for you not to know me," Fleamont replied, flashing a grin.

Euphemia raised her eyebrows before kissing her husband. "Of course, darling, but tomorrow, you're making it."