Chapter Seven

The convincing process went well, because obviously the parents have got no choice. Well, not truly in that aspect, because Dad thought if things were as serious as Mcgonagall had said, then the whole family could move out of European, and Mum agreed.

But eventually they were persuaded by Virginia, who said that Daddy's investment had just started. Moving out of Europe almost means giving it all up, which is not only bad for themselves but also for their cooperate investor, Uncle James. Also, her parents have a lot of friends around this place. If they left, how should they explain their reason to these friends?

Well, these surely aren't the reasons that truly persuaded Dad. What functioned at last was the point that Virginia is now defined as a witch, so if sudden bursts of magical power, such as Mcgonagall said, truly happened, then surely someone will get hurt, if not worse. So the parents were persuaded at last. Dad glanced the tea cup at the table and sighed a long, soft breath.

This day, the whole family slept late and no one actually fell into sleep. Daddy got up several times and went to watch her seemingly asleep daughter, and didn't know how he should react to everything happening around him. When he returned after another visit, Mum consoled him tenderly, "Well, think about it in a good way. Our daughter is always so mysteries and fantastic. She knows what she is doing. Magic? Even if she turns into a superwomen, she is still our daughter, forever."

"Oh yes, right, right…," Dad sighed and hugged his wife, "Of course I know. I'm just worried about her; she still so young…."

"She will take care of herself. I know she will." Mum sounds on the edge of tear, and she hugged back her husband. Her shoulders shaking a little bit in the air.

Virginia walked with her bare feet and leaned over the door of her parents' room, listening to all these. She burst into quiet tears, whose meaning is also a mystery to Virginia.

Yes, the tear is proud. Virginia is proud that she has such wonderful parents. And it is also sad, for she is leaving them for quite a long period of time. And the tear was also out of shame, because she thought if she has no so-called magical powers, then the whole family can just live happily everyday, not facing the coming goodbye, and the parents won't need to worry about her safety when she is alone at Hogwarts. And then the tear is firm. She promises quietly but firmly that she will look after herself, for her parents and herself, to go through this hard period safely and avoid any possible harm.

She went back to her bad and shut her eyes again.

A week later, when Mcgonagall went back to visit them, the whole family was quiescent. After hearing about the decision of the family, she knodded slightly and proposed to accompany Virginia to purchase her school stuffs. She promised to be back before dinner and asked the parents not to worry.

But Mum was still a little nervous. When they went away, she sat silently on the sofa and seemed out of her mind. Dad consoled her gently beside and waited, but he wasn't that relieved as well.

Just as Virginia had pictured in her mind, Professor Mcgonagall didn't take her the way that half-giant Hagrid took Harry Potter, finding the bar first and going to the Diagon Alley through the wall. Instead, she took her outside the house and apparated with her together.

They reappeared in a small room. Virginia didn't notice its features at first, for she felt sick after apparation. Then Mcgonagall said beside her, "Due to the special condition now, we cannot purchase things in a normal way. I've already purchased necessary things for you, including new textbooks. All you need to do now is to choose a wand. This I cannot help you. This is Mr. Ollivanders, who just inherited her father's work. He will help you choose the most suitable wand.

At this time Virginia noticed how quirky the room she landed in is. It is rather small and composed of thousands of small boxes, all arranged in a special manner.

She store several surreptitous glances of Mr. Ollivanders, who looks old and distressed. He wears a pair of glasses and looked at Virginia kindly and said, "Good morning, Ms. Winchester."

"Good morning, Mr. Ollivanders." Virginia replied politely.

"Right. Now let's get to it directly. Which hand do you usually use?" He took out an ancient, strange ruler and asked.

"I'm right-handed." Virginia replied. She allowed Mr. Ollivanders to take careful and accurate measurements. She noticed that he used no notebooks to write down the measurements. He remembered them all in his mind.

"Every wand here is distinctive and has no replica," he introduced, "Everyone has a core, where magical power comes from. We use the hair of a unicorn, the tail feather of a phoenix, or the heartstring of a dragon in making our wands. Of course, there are also exceptions, which are very rare."

"The wand chooses the wizard, Ms. Winchester. Among all these wand only one suits you best, and it will choose you," he added.

Then he spoke to himself for a while and took out a wand from a box carefully, "Try this one please, dear. Unicorn hair, seven inches long, easy to bend."

Virginia felt her heart thumping a little, but nothing actually happened.

"Well, then try this one, yes, this. Nine inches, heartstring from a Welsh dragon, long and elegant."

But still this wasn't the right one. When she picked it up and waved it slightly, huge circling cyclones happened in this room. Virginia quickly gave it away, and the wand seemed happy to leave her hand as well.

"Right, it's not this one." Ollivanders sighed.

After many more trials, Virginia stilled hadn't found her wand. Even Ollivanders said, "It was the first time I meat such a peculiar custome like you. I have just recently taken over the work of my father. Oh yes, very picky you are, uprecedentedly picky."

"This one. Let's try this one," said Mr. Ollivanders, who lightly rubbed off the sweat on his forehead and pushed the box in front of her. She took it up almost mechanically, but this time something strange happened. It was as though all her tiredness had suddenlt gone, disappeared into thin air. And the wand tip begins to glow sligtly. The wand light is not offensive, and makes her confortable, as though coming from a mother's eyes, soft, warm, creating a feeling of happiness and safety.

"Incredible!" Mr. Ollivanders seems beyong his control. He exclaimed excitedly, "Oh yes, gingko wood, eight inches, the core coming from a new-born unicorn. Yes, this one was very impressive. We seldom use tail hair of new-born or young unicorns. This is a special exception." He seemed to have recalled something, "Now this is your wand, Ms. Winchester. I think it is truly glad that it has chosen you. The wand chooses the wizard, Ms. Winchester, this is an ancient tale, but always too true."

Professor Mcgonagall, who is standing beside her, smiled and knodded as well.

"Thank you!" Virginia is truly grateful to this old man, and his sweat on the forehead makes her a little sorry.

Professor Mcgonagall helped her pay the money for the wand, six galleons. And now she realizes that she didn't bring any money. Oh yes, she hasn't any money like this kind, the golden galleons. When she went out, she brought with her Daddy's credit card, but Professor Mcgonagall seemed not going to bring her for money exchange.

When she began to think about this, Professor Mcgonagall spoke beside her, "This took a little longer than I had expected. I think we have to be quick now. Ms. Winchester, please take my arm."

Virginia followed her by grabbing her arm tightly and inhaled deeply for a moment. Another apparation didn't bring her any confortness. She still felt sick, and thought it fortunate that the wand was in Mcgonagall's hand, because if it was in herself's, then she would have surely thrown it away during the apparation.

Then she hears strange noises beside her, noises coming from all kinds of animals. Well, pets. She seemed to have completely forgotton this matter.

Ms. Winchester, please choose your pet. It will be your company for the future years. And then we shall go to make your school robes.

When she came home at night, Virginia sees her parents sitting on the sofa as though wishing to know what she had done during the day. But she lay down on the sofa and was too tired to move.

Staring at all the things on the floor, she said, "Please, let me sleep for a while, just a while…." And then she felt asleep instantaneously.