*Revised*

Chapter 4

"Good afternoon class," Professor McGonagall's voice rang through the classroom, silencing the excited students.

"Today we are going to learn a little about wand lore, as we are up to date for this semester with regards to Transfiguration. I have given Mr Ollivander permission to make use of my lessons for the rest of the day. I expect all of you to be on your best behaviour." As she spoke, her eyes seemed to drift over the Syltherin's and rest on the Golden trio and Alex. The trio had simply expanded to include the raven haired witch, and despite what McGonagall had thought would be a calming influence, Alex had simply seemed to join in on the shenanigans that the trio constantly seemed to find themselves in.

"Right everyone please pair up," Mr Ollivander's voice sounded a lot more fragile than it used to be; he was a very old man, who had worked all his life and although his enthusiasm and passion seemed to drown out his age, it seemed to be showing more and more each day. No one was sure how old he really was, but his wands were legendary. Not very many people studied wand lore and even fewer were capable wand makers. Ollivander was one of the four left in the modern wizarding society and as such it was left up them to apprentice new wand makers to carry on the selling of wands in their respective stores.

"I would like you all to examine your wands if you please, taking note of the wood as well as its core."

Naturally Hermione had drifted closer to Alex as she examined her wand. It wasn't the prettiest to look at being of simple vine wood; however, what was remarkable about her wand, was that it had a dragon heartstring core, which normally needed a far stronger wood to contain it. The brunette could feel the power behind her wand; it always sent magic coursing through her veins whenever she held it.

"Very good, now I would like you to perform a simple spell - anything that comes to mind will do. Whilst casting, I would like you to take note of your different magical signatures and the way your wand feels when you cast."

As students started to perform their spells, Hermione felt the heat that emanated from her wand as she had that first day in Ollivander's shop. It felt as if the vines were wrapping themselves around her hand, anticipating the words she was about to utter and releasing the pent up pressure the minute her hand followed through with her well-rehearsed swish and flick.

"Yes, very good, very good," Ollivander's raspy voices uttered, as he repositioned himself in front of the class holding up his own wand.

"Wands have always had a curious nature, and even those studying wand lore have only the vaguest understanding of the magic that takes place within the wand and between the wand and its owner. All that is certain is that the wand chooses the wizard or witch and another's wand will never feel right in your hand - unless of course you have won it in combat and proven that you are worthy to possess it. Now I would like you to switch wands with your partner and examine their wand before trying to perform the same spell as before."

"Here," Alex whispered into Hermione's ear. "Just be careful with it please - it's my mothers."

As Hermione reached across to take Alex's wand and trade it for her own, her fingers brushed over the raven haired girls with a reassuring smile. She had truthfully never examined her new friends' wand before as she once had with Harry and Ron's. But now, as she palmed Alex's walnut wand she felt the same energy as she did with her own, course through her finger tips and pool within the wand she now held. She couldn't believe that this wand – that felt so comfortable and familiar in her hand - had caused so much pain in the past. The biggest mystery in Hermione's mind at that moment however, was why the infamous Death Eater would gift the daughter she had abandoned, her wand; it was simply unheard of. She would have to question Alex later.

So as not to get distracted any further from the task at hand, the Golden Girl continued her examination of Alex's wand. To her utter surprise and delight she found that she shared the same core as the other Gryffindor. This was surprising due to the fact that dragon heartstring was relatively uncommon, as it needed to be harvested straight after the dragon's death.

The brunette had become so absorbed in the intense beauty of the object she held, that she had barely registered the number of explosions and profanities that everyone else was muttering, as they failed to cast even the simplest of spells with another's wand. It wasn't until Alex nudged her, that she finally looked up.

"You want to do it together? That way when we set the desk alight we'll both be prepared." Hermione loved the way she laughed out the last sentence - she made vandalising school property sound like so much fun.

"Alright then, on the count of three…"

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

With unpractised synchronization, the two young witches cast.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

What happened next was inexplicable; their wands hummed with the power flowing through them, as every desk seemed to levitate and instead of a simple misfire, both witches felt the same power and control with each other's wands as they would normally feel with their own.

Instead of the rumbling noise that had been present throughout the class, everyone fell into a stunned silence and it wasn't until Professor McGonagall cleared her throat that the class snapped out of their daze.

"Alright class is dismissed; I expect a foot long essay on my desk by tomorrow, on the basic principles of wand lore and what is and isn't known about these conduits of power. Miss Granger and Miss Black, a word if you please."

As the class filed out, Professor McGonagall and Mr Ollivander gestured for the girls to have a seat. Harry and Ron kept throwing looks over their shoulders at the girls who simply shrugged and waited for the adults to explain why they had been called to remain.

Once all the students had left, McGonagall leant forward and waited until both students had met her eye before turning to the wand maker. "Mr Ollivander I trust you can explain this series of unusual events."

"Hmm yes, it is very curious," the old wizard murmured, as he got lost in thought. "Have either of you ever heard of the legends of the dragon that once terrorised the north of Ireland?"

Out of reflex Hermione's hand shot up at the question presented by the old wand maker.

"Yes sir. The dragon was believed to be the first two headed dragon in existence. Some say it had a raging and temperamental kind of personality, while others believe it to be peaceful. There are however those who believe it was both - two personalities trapped within the same body."

"Correct Ms Granger. She was in fact a rare Hungarian Horntail, one of the ancients, a descendent of the first dragons. She was believed to be peaceful, gracious and fiercely loyal. Her temper, however, was supposedly terrible to behold and greatly feared. Two personalities, equally balanced, making her a great defender within the wizarding world. Once her time had come, I was commissioned to make a wand from her heartstring. However, when her heart was extracted, they found not one, but two strings within the dragon; two destinies, two cores. As you both well know, a core must immediately be inserted once removed, or its magic will fade and will be unable to fuse with a wand."

The brunette could no longer contain herself and burst out, "But sir, a wand made from her heartstring was never recorded. I wrote a paper last year regarding her legends."

"Yes Ms Granger, it was never recorded, because what happened was far too dangerous to ever disclose. Greed is a terrible thing - greed for power is even more so. I had intended to use the walnut tree that stood in the field where the dragon had fallen; its combined properties would create a wand like no other. The process was fairly simple; however, what followed was not. A very curious thing that dragon's heart was; not only did she contain two heartstrings, but the magic contained within them, was vastly different as well. It is unheard of and near impossible for two cores to be made from the same source. It has of course happened on occasion – such as with your friend, Mr Potter's, wand - but never with a dragon heartstring. The one heartstring, took to the walnut tree without cause for concern or problem. The other wand however, refused. This heartstring took instead to a small vine that had wrapped itself around the walnut tree. This of course, as I have told you before Miss Granger, was indeed incredible, as vine would not normally be strong enough to hold the magic from a core such as this. Thus, yours is the only in existence. I remember every wand I've ever made and sold, Ms Granger, and yours possesses a great power, that isn't seen at first. Yours Ms Black, on the other hand, holds great fury and power, yet its loyalty will always be equally as fierce. The wands were always destined to find each other and I am not sure how they will react now that they have. One thing can be certain however, a bond has formed and they will be unwilling to part. All I can say is that power of an unknown magnitude will come from this bond."

~PAGE BREAK~

Once back in the common room, the two young witches flopped down onto the couch closest to the fire. Alex was, as always, sprawled out and she'd taken to resting her head on Hermione's lap, as the Golden Girl aimlessly ran her fingers through raven coloured and tattered locks.

Their routine had come to suit both girls, as it relaxed them after a hard day of studies. Tonight would be anything but calming however, as Ginny's voice sounded through the room, "Guys they're back!"

And just like that, their peaceful bubble of comfort was broken by the sound of Harry and Ron sprinting down the stairs.

"Hermione, where have you been? There's been talk all over school and when you weren't at dinner, we started to worry that they were true! What happened to you two?" Ron as always fumbled over his words, trying to get them out as fast as possible.

So the girls retold the story of their wands to their little group, answering as many questions as they could, before they were positively exhausted. The brunette was considering placing a silencing charm on all three of them, but thankfully Alex rescued her.

"Look guys I hate to interrupt you but you're bombarding us past the point of no return and actually Hermione and I were hoping to get a walk in before curfew, so we'll catch up with you later ok?" And with that the raven haired witch had pulled the Golden Girl out of the room before anyone could protest.

~PAGE BREAK~

As they made their way down to the lake, Alex started speaking freely which she hadn't done all day.

"I'm sorry about that Mione I just couldn't take it anymore! I know they're your friends, but they can be so annoying sometimes! I don't know how they expect us to answer their questions when we're not even sure what's going on ourselves you know?"

"Yeah don't worry I understand. I was half way to hexing them before you saved me."

Hermione couldn't help but notice how much more relaxed she felt when it was just her and Alex. Everything seemed so simple when they were able to escape.

Alex laughed at the way Hermione had said that with such conviction in her voice, that she was almost certain that the brunette would have gone through with her threats.

As they reached the black lake, Alex conjured up a blanket for them to sit and relax on, while hiding within their secret spot.

"I know we missed supper, but I'm not all that hungry, so I thought we could just sit her for a while." As she spoke, Alex placed a heating charm around them to keep away the cold nights air.

Even though they were comfortably warm, Alex felt the brunette witch cuddle up closer to her as if in desperate need for more warmth. Instinctively, the dark witch wrapped her arm around Hermione, much to the girls pleasure if her happy sighs where anything to go by.

They sat in comfortable silence for a long while, until the sun had set fully and the moon had risen high into the dark night. They knew it was past curfew, but neither of them cared, for the first time in a long while they were content.

Alex was the first time to break the silence.

"It's getting late Mione, maybe we should head back." Her breath sent shivers through the brunette's body as her lips had been practically against her ear.

"And look you're getting cold." The raven haired girl had misread her shivers and goose bumps as a sign that she was cold, and not for the sign of pleasure that they really were.

Without thinking Hermione turned to face her new companion. She looked even more beautiful in the dark shadows and pale moonlight; the darkness that had fallen seemed to welcome and calm her, in a way it never could for the brunette. The effect was captivating.

With one last deep breath, Hermione leaned in and pressed her lips to Alex's. They were soft and welcoming as if the raven haired girl had been waiting all night for her. The playful twinkle in her eyes may have also given away the fact that she had wanted the brunette to take that final leap between friendship and something more. Their lips never parted as Alex's fingers intertwined around brunette curls and Hermione's hand never left her new lovers cheek, keeping them perfectly locked together in a soft kiss that turned passionate within seconds. Only once air became a necessity did their lips part. Their hands held each other close and their heads rested together in perfect comfort.

Their kiss may have been long overdue and somewhat awkward as first kisses go, but neither would complain that it hadn't been perfect.