Chosen - a Harry Potter fanfic
By Anton B. Ingibjartsson, AKA dragonwrath7
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling. I am not JK Rowling.
This story was partly influenced and inspired by the fanfic In The Words Of Ginevra Molly Potter, by TheJealousOne.
THIS STORY CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS TO ALL THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THEM AND DON'T WANT THE EXPERIENCE RUINED FOR YOU, REFRAIN FROM READING FURTHER. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
EDIT: Fixed some minor spelling errors (I misspelled Quidditch...)
EDIT: Changed the size and wood of a certain wand mentioned in this chapter, for reasons explained in the author's notes – but please read the chapter first.
Chapter Three: The Wand Chooses The Wizard
The gun on the floor exploded, which was all it took to frighten the Dursleys out of their wits. They fled into the other room and closed the door behind them.
At last, Harry was able to read his letter:
Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
The next day, when Harry awoke, he did not immediately open his eyes. Why? Because for a terrible moment he thought it had been a dream. He was afraid he'd been returned to his measly existence outside the world of Harry Potter. He heard snoring that sounded uncannily similar to that of his foster parents' son, who was much older than him and disregarded him completely. He also heard whispers in the next room that reminded him of how his foster parents would whisper about him whenever he did something he shouldn't, rather than confronting him to discuss the problem. He didn't want to go back to that. He liked the idea of being Harry Potter, who would have many good friends, and he didn't like the idea of going back to being bullied by those his foster parents called his friends. No, he didn't want to go back.
But then he heard something else; the sound of waves hitting rock. He opened his eyes and tears streamed from them. He knew that he was still in the cabin on the rock and felt enormous relief and happiness. Here he had Hagrid. Here he would have Ron and Hermione. No, he didn't want to go back.
Harry sat up and looked over at Hagrid, just to make sure he was still there. Yes, that overlarge body and wild hair and beard were unmistakable. And the snoring was definitely his. The whispers belonged to the Dursleys, who were still in the other room and apparently still awake. Harry picked up the letter he'd received from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the middle of the night. He'd already read it several times, but he read it again now, anyway. It seemed to help him believe this whole thing was real.
An hour or so later, he heard tapping on the window. He'd been expecting it, but it still felt strange to see an owl knocking on the glass. He stood up and let it in, then rummaged in Hagrid's coat for some money. Hagrid was already awake by the time Harry finished paying the owl, which immediately took off through the window.
When they got outside, Hagrid stepped into the boat Harry and the Dursleys had used to get there. After a second's hesitation, Harry followed him. It wasn't that he was afraid to step into the boat that didn't look sturdy enough to carry someone as big as Hagrid, he had simply wondered how the Dursleys would get back without a vessel. He very much doubted Dudley was in any shape to swim, but he pushed the thought aside. He wasn't exactly a fan of the Dursleys and he knew that in the book they'd gotten away from there safely, though he wasn't sure exactly how. When they got to the harbor, he decided to ask Hagrid to send the boat back. Just in case.
When they reached the Leaky Cauldron, behind which would be the entrance to Diagon Alley where Harry could buy all his school things, Harry braced himself. He knew what to expect from the barman and pub-goers. As expected, at the mention of Harry's name the whole pub went crazy. Every last one of them insisted on shaking his hand. And when they finally got free of the crowd, Hagrid led the way to the entrance of Diagon Alley.
Harry thought he knew what to expect. He thought wrong. He had read the book several times, but the descriptions given there paled in comparison to actually seeing the place. It was -Harry knew no other word for it- beautiful. The crowd in the pub had been overwhelming enough, but this was something else; the shops, the people, the strange, leaning buildings and the oddly shaped street. Harry looked eagerly in all directions, trying to take it all in, until they reached Gringotts. Harry tried not to stare at the short, long-fingered creatures he encountered there, not wanting to insult a goblin. After a fast ride in the tunnels beneath the bank, during which Harry tried not to show how much fun he was having, on account of Hagrid's sick face, they reached Harry's vault. After taking some money out of it, to be used in purchasing Harry's school things, they were off to vault seven hundred and thirteen. Hagrid, trying to act secretive and important, took a small package from the vault and asked Harry not to mention this to anyone. Harry, of course, already knew what was in the package, but decided to keep that little detail to himself so as not to worry Hagrid. After another wild ride, Harry went to buy school robes while Hagrid, looking rather ill, stumbled off toward the Leaky Cauldron for a pick-me-up.
When Harry entered Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, he thought it seemed rather ordinary, compared to the surrounding shops. It didn't look too different from an ordinary clothes shop. Madam Malkin smiled at him and showed him to the back, where a pale blond-haired boy was already being fitted for robes. So, thought Harry, this is Draco Malfoy. He said nothing, though, but simply stood to allow Madam Malkin to perform the measurements.
"Hullo. Hogwarts too?" asked the pale Malfoy. Harry simply nodded. He knew the books depicted Malfoy as a sort of rival and enemy to Harry, but didn't want to dislike him just because he was supposed to. He therefore decided to just keep his mouth shut.
"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands. Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first-years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow. Have you got your own broom?"
Harry quietly shook his head. Malfoy looked at him.
"What's wrong with you? Did someone put a Silencing Charm on you or something?"
"No."
"Well, why haven't you said anything, then?"
"What's there to say?"
"Well, for one, what house do you think you'll be in?"
"Gryffindor."
Malfoy sneered. Harry had to admit he was having a hard time not disliking him.
"I'M going to be in Slytherin, for sure."
"That's nice."
Malfoy didn't seem to like Harry's tone, nor had Harry been expecting him to. Before Malfoy could retort, however, Hagrid arrived outside the window holding two ice-creams. Harry smiled and waved at him. Malfoy noticed.
"So who's that? Your father?" he sneered again. Harry wanted to punch him.
"No, that's Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper."
"Right. So why's he with you? Where are your parents?"
"Why do you care?"
Malfoy didn't answer, but just stared at Harry for a while. Then, with an even bigger sneer than before, he spoke again.
"They're Muggles, aren't they?"
"Who?"
"Your parents. They're Muggles. You're Muggle-born."
"No, I'm not."
"So why aren't your parents with you?"
Just then, Madam Malkin announced that Harry was done, and Harry jumped down and headed for the counter. Feeling Malfoy's eyes on him, he stopped midway and sighed. Then he turned around and lifted his hair away from his forehead so his scar was plainly visible.
"Does this answer your question?"
Malfoy just stared. He quite obviously couldn't believe his eyes. Harry let go of his hair, went to the counter and paid. Just when he was about to leave the shop, he heard Malfoy's voice from the back.
"Potter!"
"Yes?"
"I wouldn't hang around with riff-raff like that Hagrid too much, it might rub off on you. I could introduce you to the right-"
"No thanks."
Angrily, Harry walked out and slammed the door hard behind him.
Harry quietly ate his ice-cream with Hagrid as they visited various shops and, unlike his book counterpart, did not ask about Quidditch or school houses, but when Harry's bad mood started to worry Hagrid, he did tell him about his talk with Malfoy. Hagrid told him not to let someone like that rattle him. Harry just sighed and finished his ice-cream.
When they got to Eeylops Owl Emporium, Hagrid insisted on getting Harry a birthday present. Harry didn't bother to argue, and left the store a short while later holding a cage with a snowy owl inside. He thought the owl looked beautiful, and his bad mood dissipated a great deal.
And then they entered Ollivanders. The feeling he received upon entering made him completely forget about Malfoy and the bad mood he'd been in. Instead, he was filled with awe. There was something very powerful in the air, it felt like he'd been given the privilege of entering a forbidden place. He thought about the massive number of wands in the shop and was quite sure they had something to do with it; perhaps the strange chill he felt was caused by the sheer amount of magic in the room.
"Good afternoon."
Harry jumped, and heard a strange crunch behind him that told him Hagrid had too. Hagrid quickly stood up; he had nearly broken the chair he sat on. When Harry had located Ollivander's moon-like eyes, he bowed and returned his greeting. He had a great respect for Ollivander based on what he'd read in the books, simply because he seemed a good and wise person.
Ah yes. Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter."
"Good to meet you, Mr. Ollivander."
Ollivander did not smile or return the sentiment, but Harry thought he still seemed pleased.
"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. 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 –"
"The wand chooses the wizard," said Harry suddenly. "Yeah, I know."
Ollivander had Harry try various wands, but Harry didn't expect any of them to choose him, any more than they had chosen his book counterpart. Finally, the moment Harry had been waiting for arrived.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere – I wonder, now – yes, why not – unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Harry took the wand and was immediately surprised.
Something's wrong. Aren't I supposed to feel the connection as soon as I touch the wand?
He lifted the wand above his head and brought it swooshing down, but no sparks came out. Truly afraid now, Harry had a hard time letting go of the wand when Ollivander tried to take it. Ollivander was muttering by the time he put the wand back in the box.
"No, of course not, what was I thinking..."
Meanwhile, Harry's insides were growing colder by the second.
It didn't choose me... It didn't choose me... Does this mean I'm not... but the snake... and the spiders... and the gun...
Ollivander kept bringing down new wands, muttering.
"Not to worry, not to worry. I have a few hundred wands left."
A few hundred? Does he expect me to be here all day? And what if NONE of them choose me? The phoenix wand should have chosen me! I should have been chosen by the wand with Fawkes' feather as a core! What is going on!?
They kept trying new wands, but nothing happened whatsoever. After about an hour, Ollivander simply stood and stared into space, as if he were in deep thought, and then he muttered to himself.
"I wonder... not very likely, but it can't hurt to try..."
And he went far into the back of the store. Harry heard a door open and wondered what kind of wand Ollivander could possibly be keeping behind a closed door instead of out here with the rest of the wands. A few seconds later, Ollivander returned with a wand box. After a second's hesitation, he opened the box and held out the wand. Unlike with all the other wands, he did not describe this wand's attributes.
Harry took the wand and felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised it above his head and brought it swishing down, just as he had the phoenix wand, and a rain of sparks shot out of it like fireworks. He thought the color seemed a little odd. The sparks were neither the phoenix red and gold nor the unicorn silver and white and though he didn't know the spark color of dragon heartstring, he doubted these colors belonged to a dragon. The sparks were blue, red and green.
Hagrid clapped, but Ollivander appeared to be dumbstruck. He took the wand back from Harry, put it into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, all the while muttering to himself.
"Yes, yes... Birch, eleven and a half inches, firm... most unusual..."
Harry didn't know what to say. He was relieved to have been chosen by a wand, but was also rather afraid. He had been counting on getting the phoenix wand. Without it, he would not have the protection of Priori Incantatem. Then he realized Ollivander had forgotten something.
"Err, Mr. Ollivander? You didn't say what kind of core the wand has. And what's so unusual?"
Ollivander turned toward Harry, and seemed hesitant to answer.
"Many years ago, in the time when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was strongest, the Ministry of Magic made a plea to all the wandmakers of Britain. They asked us all to create new, more powerful wands to be used against the Death Eaters. I never believed such a thing was possible, but I was told to try a new type of core. I knew no single core could be stronger than dragon heartstring, unicorn hair and phoenix tail feathers, but I studied the matter and decided upon three possible cores. I discovered, however, that none of them were powerful enough to make a proper core. The ministry was getting impatient, so I decided to go ahead and make the wand, but when the time came to choose which core to use, an idea occurred to me. Next day, I showed up at the Ministry with a prototype wand, something no man had tried before. I called it the Trinity Wand. Birch, eleven and a half inches, firm, the core of which consisted of auguray feather, ramora fin and salamander heartstring."
Harry looked at the box incredulously.
"Three cores?"
"Hence the name Trinity Wand. Now, with three different cores, I found it highly unlikely any man or woman would be worthy of carrying it because its needs would be very specific, and I told the Ministry this. Even so, the wand was tried by every Ministry worker, along with several other people, but none of them were chosen."
Harry was speechless. A wand that was possibly the strongest ever made had rejected every member of the Ministry, but had chosen him. He wasn't sure how to feel about this. He was very honored to have been chosen by such a selective wand, but a part of him would rather have the phoenix wand and the protection of Priori Incantatem.
"Now, Mr. Potter. The wand is technically the property of the Ministry of Magic, so I will have to inform them of the wand's choice. I feel confident they will not mind, considering who the wand chose. Incidentally, I'm not sure how powerful this wand is. It's possible it won't work properly with certain spells, but it holds the power of three, so it may be able to perform magic no other wand could imitate."
Harry swallowed and nodded nervously. Hagrid clapped Harry's shoulder so hard that Harry almost fell to his knees.
"Chosen by a special wand like that. Jus' wait till Dumbledore hears about this."
On the eve of August the 31st, Harry lay in his bed and stared at the ceiling. He had spent most of the month in this room reading his school books. The rest of his free time had gone into pondering the mysteries of his wand. He still couldn't understand why he hadn't been chosen by the phoenix wand. Nothing he'd changed so far could have influenced that. How could it? That had been his first day in the magical world, and the only real change he'd made was to tell Hagrid he was a seer. Could his lie have caused this? He picked up his wand and looked at it. Ollivander had called it the first of its kind, the 'Trinity Wand', but had warned that the wand might not be able to handle certain spells.
Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Dudley snoring in the next room. He hadn't realized how late it was, and remembered he still hadn't spoken with uncle Vernon about getting to London next morning. He hurried downstairs to talk with his uncle, but the lights were off and nobody was there. He went back upstairs and approached the master bedroom. He put his ear to the door and heard uncle Vernon snoring on the other side. Deciding he'd better not wake his uncle, Harry went back to his own bedroom and finished packing. Hedwig had been out hunting, and now came soaring in through the window. Harry gave her some owl treats before shutting her in her cage. Then he undressed and went to bed, thinking he'd just talk to uncle Vernon in the morning.
Next day, Harry woke up late. It was already nine o'clock when he descended the stairs, hoping the Dursleys weren't already gone.
But the Dursleys were still there. In fact, it didn't look as though they were going anywhere at all. Uncle Vernon was quietly reading the paper, aunt Petunia was cleaning the kitchen, and Dudley didn't even seem to be up yet.
"Err, uncle Vernon?"
Uncle Vernon grunted to indicate he was listening.
"I've got to be at King's Cross station in London by eleven to go to Hogwarts. Do you think you could give me a lift?"
"No."
Harry's insides went cold.
"No?"
"No. I've got no reason to go to London, and I'm not taking the trip just so you can go and learn you-know-what."
"No reason..."
And then it hit Harry; in the book, uncle Vernon had only agreed to give him a lift because he had to take Dudley to a doctor to remove the pig's tail Hagrid had given him. But Hagrid had only done that because uncle Vernon insulted Dumbledore, and Harry had driven the Dursleys out of the room before they got the chance to insult anyone other than Harry's parents. If uncle Vernon had no reason to go to London, how would Harry get there?
Harry backed out of the room and almost ran up the stairs and into his room, where he paced back and forth for minutes upon minutes, but the panic that had taken over him made it seem like hours. He had to find a way. He couldn't apparate; he didn't know how – and even if he did, underage apparatation was illegal. He couldn't fly; he had no broom, first-year students at Hogwarts weren't allowed to own one. He had no flew powder, and the fireplace was boarded up and not connected to the flew network anyway. He kept pacing the room until an idea struck him. He wasn't exactly sure how it worked, but he had to try. He stuffed his wand in his pocket, grabbed his trunk and Hedwig's cage, and hurried outside. If this didn't work, he'd just have to send a letter to Hagrid and ask for help. He knew the teachers would be understanding, especially Dumbledore.
He put down the trunk and cage on the sidewalk and pulled up his wand.
Well, here goes.
He waved the wand into the street as if trying to catch a cab.
The results were instantaneous. A huge triple-decker bus appeared out of nowhere and stopped in front of Harry. The doors opened and an old man stepped out and began to read a familiar text that Harry remembered from the books.
I guess Stan Shunpike hasn't started working in the Knight Bus yet.
Harry paid the fare for a ticket to King's Cross station, London. It was a short but interesting trip. Various witches and wizards could be seen getting on and off the bus, though thankfully none of them recognized Harry; he suspected the trip would be put on hold if all the passengers (not to mention the driver) insisted on shaking his hand. After about ten minutes, Harry got off at King's Cross. Very relieved, he quickly made his way to the hidden platform nine and three-quarters. When he got to the barrier between platforms nine and ten, he stopped and looked at a nearby clock. The train wouldn't be leaving for an hour and a half. He remembered that the Weasley family wouldn't be arriving until just before eleven and he wanted to be sure to meet them.
Thinking it would look suspicious to other witches and wizards if he just hung around the entrance to the platform, he decided to get a bite to eat. It wasn't until he reached the food stands that he realized he had no way to buy food. He couldn't exactly pay with wizard's money.
"Excuse me," said a girl's voice behind him, "do you know how to get to platform nine and three-quarters?"
Author's Notes:
As stated above the chapter, I've decided to alter the nature of "a certain wand" – I think you can guess which. The Trinity Wand's original features can be found further down in these notes, but I'd like to explain the changes I made. First, I believe that it would be too much of a coincidence for the TW to be the same length as the phoenix wand, so I gave it an extra half inch. As for the wood, I took a look at a Celtic Tree Calendar. In JK's version, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco all have wands whose wood matches their birthdays on this calendar. In Harry's and Draco's case, this is a coincidence, but when JK realized this, she made sure to include Ron and Hermione as well. As I was looking over the calendar, I decided that of all the woods shown there, the holly fits Harry the best, but only JK's Harry. Birch, on the other hand, is a much better fit for my Harry and especially the Trinity Wand (Birch is associated with rebirth, protection and healing). Also, since I based the character on myself (no, my parents aren't dead, nor do I live with an adoptive family of any sort, and yes, he's a lot braver than I am) he might as well share my birthday – and guess what? My birthday happens to be January 8th – right in the middle of the Birch month. So, birch it is.
This used to be chapter 4, but since I combined the first two chapters into one, I had to change the chapter number of every chapter after that.
I'm sorry this arrived so late. I've been having a major case of writer's block. There were some other factors too, but that's the main reason.
Other reasons include the chapter's ending, which took forever to decide on (originally, the chapter was supposed to include the train ride and the sorting, but then it would have been twice as long, so I decided to end it like this).
Also, I had to stop writing when I got to the Ollivanders part, because I realized it was a perfect opportunity to add another twist. Remember, the Harry in the books and the Harry in this story are two different people, so they probably wouldn't be chosen by the same wand.
So how did I figure out what the wand should be like? First off, I had to choose a core. I was going to use Unicorn Hair, but then I thought: Why not try something new? So I decided on those three. Note that in a way, the Trinity Wand is connected to the four primary elements; Fire (Salamander), Water (Ramora), Wind (Auguray, AKA Irish Phoenix) and Earth (Holly). As for the wood type and length, I went with the same type and length as Harry's wand in the books. Reason: This Harry has the same body as the other one. I took a close look at some of the known wand facts and found that the longest wand belonged to Hagrid (probably the biggest wizard ever) and the shortest to Umbridge (do I even need to explain this one?). As a result, I deducted that the wand size should have to do with the size and shape of the body. As for the Holly, well being in Harry's body beans sharing Harry's birthday. Most characters in the HP world have wand wood that corresponds with the tree of their birth month. In Harry's case, Holly.
Obviously, this means no Priori Incantatem. There will also be other issues later.
People have been reminding me to include the 'butterfly effect'. Don't worry everyone, I haven't forgotten. This chapter includes the very first major changes. Assuming you read carefully, you're guaranteed to notice that Harry almost got in trouble because of something he changed.
Last but not least; the name. I'm sure you'll agree that the wand was THE major point in this chapter, but since I didn't originally intend to change anything there, the chapter has gone through two name changes. Originally, I dubbed it 'A Journey To Remember' because it was supposed to include the train ride and the sorting, but as soon as I added the wand thing, I decided to call it 'Changes'. Even then, I intended to include the train ride and sorting, but as soon as I realized none of it was as big a point as the Trinity Wand, I decided to end the chapter where I did and give it a name that fit the whole wand thing.
And finally, to my readers, thank you again for your comments. If you have any questions, just ask them in your comments. I'll try to remember to answer any such questions here.