Apple and Phoenix Feather
There was something unreal about being back here, Frank thought. Magical Belgrade hadn't changed much. If anything, it looked a bit more crowded than 23 years ago.
Frank knew that the same was not true for the non-magical parts of Serbia. A terrible war had ravaged this part of the world, Frank had read about it in horror in 1999, his first year in the Muggle world. The war probably explained why there seemed to be more people in the magical quarter of the city. Serbian witches and wizards had sought refuge in places that were magically protected from guns and bombs which would kill them just like they killed the Muggles if no special protective measures were taken.
The war was over now but Frank knew that it was anything but forgotten. That was the reason why he had only spent as much time as absolutely necessary among the Muggles even though he had arrived the Muggle way. He didn't know enough to act appropriately among them; at least that was what he thought. Still, he had considered it safer to travel as the Muggle Frank Logan. Magical means of transportation were controlled by witches and wizards, it was hardly possible to leave or enter a country by magic without being detected. Frank had wanted to avoid this at any cost. No one knew what he was up to, his Muggle colleagues believed he had finally decided to go on a holiday even though they didn't understand why he had chosen Serbia of all places.
Frank had a very good reason to be here however. He wanted to revisit the places where he had found signs of Voldemort's presence on his last journey. It was quite possible that Voldemort had chosen one of those places to hide his Horcrux or at least Frank hoped that this was possible. He didn't really know where the Horcrux might be but he assumed that Voldemort wouldn't leave it in Britain but rather abroad where no one expected him to hide anything of importance to him. If he even knew that someone had found out, Frank wasn't sure about that.
First of all, Frank had another task to complete. He had already changed money and bought himself a few sets of new robes but he was still missing the object most important to any wizard, his wand. Frank didn't want to waste anymore time before getting one, he remembered the fate that had befallen Dawlish and the others in this place much too well to be careless. There might be Death Eaters as well, Voldemort would surely try to gain influence outside of the UK.
These dangers couldn't keep Frank from feeling something close to happiness and a slight excitement as he was walking among magical people once more. None of them seemed to notice anything odd about him. What had happened to him was clearly not as obvious to spot as he had feared when sitting alone in his rented Muggle house.
Frank hoped that the pretty young English-speaking wandmaker they had met the last time he had visited Belgrade was still here. Even though the street was even more rickety than Diagon Alley, Frank found Jovanovic's wand-shop rather quickly. The shop at least did still exist which meant he could finally get a wand again. Longing stirred in him as he gazed upon the small boxes lining the shelves of the wand-shop. Frank had accepted the inevitable during the last years but now he realised that he had always missed being in possession of a wand. Sometimes his service gun had felt like something of a substitute but never really. It wasn't connected to his magic in any way after all.
For some reason, getting a wand abroad had never occurred to him before.
Today, Frank was lucky. The young wandmaker had turned into a middle-aged woman but she was still there. At the moment, she was applying a locking charm to her cash till. So she wanted to close the shop already? Frank had to be quick.
He walked into the shop, a bell rang.
"Good afternoon, Madam Jovanovic."
The woman looked up. "Good afternoon, Mister. What can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for a wand."
Frank really hoped that she wouldn't tell him to wait another day. He wanted to end his wandless state as quickly as possible now.
The wandmaker looked at him intently. Understanding dawned on her. "You're Frank Longbottom," she whispered. "So you did keep your promise to visit me again."
Frank was startled. It had been 23 years since he had met this woman and they had only spent a few days with her. The fact that she was still able to recognize him so quickly disturbed him. People he didn't want to recognize him would be able to do so as well.
She walked towards the door and tapped it with her wand. The shutters went down.
"Frank Longbottom, the British Auror who took on the Red Lethifold without a second's hesitation," Madam Jovanovic said. "We owe it to you and your team that our Aurors finally got their act together and put an end to this lot."
The Red Lethifold had been a secret society of dark witches and wizards who had sold dangerous dark objects among a number of other illegal activities. They had captured the first team of Aurors sent to the Balkans looking for Voldemort and killed one member. Frank and his colleagues had been able to save the others.
"I'm glad to hear that they've been dealt with," Frank said.
"So am I, so am I," Madam Jovanovic said.
"I'd really like to get my wand now," Frank said. "We can talk afterwards."
"Yes, of course. I'm surprised to see you looking for a wand here though. You've all refused to try my wands and believed that no one can compare to your Ollivander." She laughed.
"I apologize for any offense we might have given," Frank said quickly.
"None taken," Madam Jovanovic said. "I've really not been that good back then. Only just finished my apprenticeship with Gregorovitch."
She sighed deeply. "Horrible thing that happened to him by the way."
"May I ask what's happened to him? I've been a bit out of touch with the wizarding world recently."
"Of course you may ask. He's been murdered and tortured. Your Dark Lord got him but not after killing the innocent family who had moved into his former retirement home in the Black Forest."
"I'm sorry to hear that." It was so much like Voldemort. "Don't call him "my Dark Lord" though. I have nothing to do with this person or rather creature."
"I didn't mean it that way," Madam Jovanovic hurried to explain. "It's just; well he's ruling your country now, that's why I said that. I know you tried to capture him back then."
"If only we had been successful," Frank said grimly.
"Don't blame yourself; he was too powerful for three Aurors. Maybe you should have accepted help but I understand why you didn't. Especially after the disaster with the Red Lethifold. Can't really blame you for doubting our competence." She took a deep breath. "I've heard what's happened to you and your wife when you returned."
"They've been talking about this here?" Frank had really hoped that foreign witches and wizards wouldn't know about his shame. So far, Madam Jovanovic hadn't acted as if she did know.
"It's been on the newspapers all over Europe," the wandmaker said, confirming Frank's worst fears. "Everyone was shocked to see how deeply people can sink if they get involved too much into the dark arts. We've all been so impressed by your determination to resist. I've always known you'd prove stronger than that curse in the end and I was right."
"I've done nothing admirable. It would have been my duty to protect my family but I failed."
"Even the best can lose a battle if their out-numbered and taken by surprise," Madam Jovanovic said. "You're too harsh on yourself. Let's get you your new wand now I'd say."
Frank nodded. He preferred this to any more discussions of the attack as well.
"I wasn't very good yet back then but I assure you I have improved. I'm sure you will find an appropriate wand here," she promised. "Try this one. Maple and dragon heartstring."
Frank took the wand but nothing happened. He wasn't too surprised though. You hardly ever found a matching wand at your first attempt.
When Frank had tried eight different wands and none of them had shown even the slightest hint of connection with his magic, he started to worry. Maybe the wand he had lost really was the only one which had suited him and now that he had it taken from him, he'd never find another one again.
"What has your old wand been made of?" Madam Jovanovic asked. "Maybe a similar one will work best for you."
"Rowan and unicorn hair," Frank explained.
"Well, I have three wands made of rowan and tail hairs from male unicorns, maybe one of them will suit you," Madam Jovanovic suggested.
They weren't lucky however. The three wands stayed as dead in Frank's hand as the ones he had tried before and the same went for all the other rowan wands.
Frank tried not to be too disappointed. "Which one would you recommend me under these circumstances? I've learned to use wands that aren't matched to me as well."
"Let's not give up so quickly," Madam Jovanovic said. "I've still got many wands you haven't tried yet."
"I don't want to waste too much of your free afternoon," Frank said.
"Don't worry. I'm not very busy at the moment anyway. It's still a while till school starts and there aren't many customers at the moment."
She scratched her head, absentmindedly. "Yes, we could try this of course. It's very different from your first one but why not? Wait a moment."
She walked through a door in the back of her shop and returned with another wand a few moments later. "This one's brand new. One of those I just wanted to pack up and put into the shelves this afternoon. I'm not sure but I've got a feeling, well try it out."
Frank took the wand from her hand. Immediately, he felt warmth in his finger and his head was full of memories he had almost forgotten, memories of the Prewett brothers' laughing faces, of Alice, Dorcas and Lily giggling over some stupid article in Witch Weekly, only to look very embarrassed the moment they realised how inappropriate this was for women of their position, Dumbledore giving his speeches about having the courage to fight for the right thing together, Kingsley trying to flirt with a young Andela Jovanovic while Cordelia said beside them with a rather grim look on her face and so many more.
A silvery fox jumped from the wand and ran around the room before vanishing into thin air; it almost looked like Frank's Patronus even though he hadn't cast the charm at all.
"Very good," a smiling Madam Jovanovic said. "I knew we'd find the right one. Applewood and phoenix feather."
Applewood and phoenix feather, hearing what his new wand was made of gave Frank a warm feeling that wasn't unlike what he had felt when he had taken the wand into his hand. The apple tree was the Longbottom family's symbol while the phoenix had been that of Dumbledore's Order. Being chosen by such a wand meant, had to mean, that Frank might not have failed either after all. Alice had been a witch and Auror and a member of the Order in her own right. She had wanted him to stay silent rather than speak for her sake; she had told him so twice. She just like him had chosen pain and death over treachery, it wasn't Frank's fault, it was the fault of those who had attacked them and in the end that of Lord Voldemort. For the first time in so many years, Frank felt whole again, as if the wand had been a piece of him that had been missing. He was Frank Longbottom and he did deserve to bear that name. No one could take this away from him, least of all a bunch of people who had enslaved themselves to a dark wizard.