Chapter V

Diagon Alley Part II

Kelsey's head was spinning as they exited the bank. She never wanted to go on another ride like that again. Harry looked down at the young girl and laughed, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"What do you say we go get your wand now that the bad part is over with?" he said.

Kelsey beamed up at him. "Really?! Oh, yes, yes, yes!"

Harry motioned down the street to a store labeled Ollivander's. Kelsey, unable to contain her excitement, bolted off towards the shop. Harry smiled and followed her into the shop, waving his hand in front of his face and causing dust motes to flit about.

"Mister Ollivander?" he called. Almost immediately a a ladder rolled to the front of the shop, holding a very, very old man with wild grey hair on it. He wore an old fashioned vest and pants and his skin was slightly browned from age and leathery. He looked at Harry and a smiled crept up on his face.

"Why if it isn't Mister Potter!"

The old man stepped off the ladder and crossed the room, bypassing the front desk (which was in a simply dreadful array, mind you) and embraced Harry. Kelsey stood off to the side, feeling very out of place. The two broke their embrace and Harry motioned towards Kelsey. The old man followed his hand and finally noticed the girl.

"Well, hello there," he said. "Who might you be?"

"I-I'm Kelsey, sir. Kelsey Remington," she replied meekly.

"And I suspect you have come for your wand, Kelsey Remington."

She nodded, rolling back on her feet. Ollivander nodded and motioned for her to approach the desk. He cleared the surface with a flick of his wand and the contents shot all over the shop into their appropriate spaces. Kelsey approached the desk and rested her hands on its ancient surface. She watched as Ollivander flitted about, pulling various boxes and cases down. He came back with his arms loaded and set them down.

"Now, Miss Kelsey Remington, a word if I may."

She nodded.

"First and foremost, choosing a wand is not as simple as picking it up and deciding which color you like the best. No, no. The wand chooses the wizard. Or witch, in your case." He gave her a knowing look and rubbed his chin. "Hmm..."

He moved a few boxes and picked up one with a black sheen. He opened it and pulled out a black wand. "Fourteen and three quarters inches. Unicorn hair. Black cherry." He handed it to Kelsey. "Give it a twirl."

Kelsey looked at Harry who smiled and nodded. Reassured, she did as instructed and the lamp on the desk exploded. Kelsey screamed and jumped back. Ollivander, who seemed entirely unaffected, took the wand back and shook his head.

"Well, it's rarely a success on the first attempt."

He opened another box, this one red. It contained a brown wand with a beveled handle. "Mahogany, with a phoenix feather core, and twelve and a half inches." He handed it to her.

As before the results were less than stellar. Swinging the wand caused hundreds of wand boxes to fly off their shelves.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" she stammered frantically. Ollivander waved her off.

"Not to worry - happens all the time," he said.

Every wand Kelsey tried proved to be a dud. They tried out sixteen wands, and all caused some sort of damage to the shop and one even singed Ollivander's hair much to Kelsey's horror. She was becoming more and more dejected with each failure, although Ollivander and Harry both tried to console her.

"It's not the end of the world, Kelsey," Harry said. "Sometimes it just takes longer to find your wand, but when you do, you'll know it."

Ollivander hummed to himself and walked to the back of his shop. He was gone for some time and finally came back holding a purple box. "Try this," he said, and opened it. This time he held the box toward Kelsey instead of removing the and himself. Inside lay a purple wand, with a handled made of crisscrossing wood and a knotted guard. It was beautiful.

She removed the wand and instantly felt an intense warmth coursing through her entire body. The tip of the wand glowed softly and her hair fluttered as a calm breeze blew through the shop. Harry and Ollivander both laughed and clapped. At last!

Kelsey beamed brightly and excitedly showed Harry her new wand. He motioned for her to pay Ollivander, which she did, and hugged the old shopkeeper before leaving. Harry nodded at Ollivander and followed her outside.

She could not stop admiring her new wand. The wand was made of purple heartwood with a unicorn hair core, eleven and three quarters inches long. It felt simply perfect in her hand. Her own wand! She giggled and hugged it close.

Harry called her over to the front of the Pet Emporium and showed her the owls.

A brown screech owl stared back at her, its large eyes forlorn and sad. It ruffled its feathers and turned away. Kelsey looked at Harry and they walked inside. A bell announced their arrival. The shopkeep looked up and set aside his broom. The inside of the shop stank and was loud from the various noises made by the animals and creatures. Harry shook his hand while Kelsey looked around in awe. To her left was numerous owls of varying size and species and to her right was a cage filled with what looked to be spikey balls. She tried to poke one and it inflated with a screech, startling her. She grimaced and walked away.

"'Ello miss. I suspect you'll be needin' an owl, then," the shopkeep said. Kelsey nodded. "Right then, follow me."

The shopkeep led Kelsey to the back and opened a door to what appeared to be an aviary of sorts. Dozens of owls inhabited the room. Great horned owls, screech owls, snowy owls, tawny owls, and owls Kelsey wasn't sure of. She let out an audible gasp and entered the room. The owls flew about, screeching, chittering and fluttering their wings and feathers.

"Go on, then, pick one out," the shopkeep said. Kelsey looked back at him.

"How do I know which one..."

", Well that's the question innit?" he said. He was clearly grumpy so Kelsey didn't press the matter. She approached a small tawny owl and stared at it. The bird stared back, unmoving. Gingerly, Kelsey brought her hand up to it and the owl turned its head to look. She stopped moving with bated breath. The owl chirped and pushed its head into her hand, allowing her to pet it. Kelsey looked at the shopkeep.

"I'm getting this one."

Kelsey paid the man (it cost nearly seven hundred galleons!) and left the shop, her tawny owl in a cage she held close.

"Have you a picked a name?" Harry asked. Kelsey nodded.

"Her name is Aura," she said, hugging the cage tightly. She looked lovingly at her small owl. The bird was very small with mottled brown and white feathers. Kelsey thought she was very cute. The owl hooted and ruffled her feathers. Kelsey looked up at Harry, who nodded.

"That's a nice name. When I got my owl I named her Hedwig. She was a snowy owl." Harry pulled out a piece of parchment. "Let's see. We still need to get your books and robes. But what do you say we get a bite to eat first?"

Kelsey's stomach rumbled at that moment and Harry laughed.

"Lunch it is then, and I know just the place."