Disclaimer: *looks under the nearest rock* Nope! Still don't own anything!

Chapter 113

Harry looked around Ollivander's shop with a slight grimace. He hadn't been back since he and Sirius were here a couple months prior to get refill supplies for his wand care kit.

With the exception of Tonks and Moody, the rest of the Order members were invisible. (He could see the magical signatures of various people around the room, except Moody's, but couldn't see the actual person.)

"Good morning, everyone," exclaimed Ollivander.

"Morning, sir," he and Neville replied simultaneously.

"I understand Misters' Potter and Longbottom need new wands?"

He and Neville nodded.

Ollivander looked back and forth between himself and Neville for several minutes when he suddenly declared, "Longbottom first!"

Harry inadvertently startled at the wand-makers tone of enthusiasm. From the corner of his eye, he saw Snape smirk.

He watched as Ollivander brought forth the first box. "Holly with a unicorn hair, 12 inches, bendy and swishy."

Neville picked it up, swished it, and Harry immediately dropped to the floor to avoid a black jet of flame that shot at the clock behind his head.

"Nope. Definitely not," Ollivander said as he snatched the wand from Neville.

Neville looked absolutely mortified at what he had done. "I'm so sorry, Harry."

Harry chuckled as he stood back up. "If you wanted to test my reflexes, you could have just asked," he said with amusement.

Before Neville could respond, Ollivander was opening another box for him to try.

"Yew. Dragon heart-string, rather rigid."

Neville whisked it through the air which caused the glass behind him to shatter. He carefully put it back in the box while Dumbledore repaired the window.

"Did you do that the first time you were in here?" whispered a horrified Neville.

Harry snickered. "I didn't break a window, but don't worry about it though. I imagine Ollivander's used to it."

A pile of about twenty-five wands had accumulated on the counter when Neville sat down on a stool with a dreary expression. "I don't think I'll ever find one that will choose me."

"Sure you will," encouraged Harry. "Hermione once told me that it took four hours before she got her wand."

"Ugh. That doesn't give me much hope. What if Gran won't wait that long? What if she decides I'm not worthy of my own wand, after all?"

Harry scowled. "Until you get one, I'm not leaving. I don't care what they threaten me with."

Neville gave him a sad smile.

Harry watched when, forty minutes later, Neville put his hand on a wand and swished it through the air. Not only did it leave trailing sparks of red and gold but a mini-whirlwind settled around him.

"Well done!" exclaimed Ollivander with delight. "Thirteen inches of cherry wood with a single unicorn hair as its core. Slightly rigid."

Neville positively beamed.

As the wand-maker started putting away the wands that didn't choose Neville, he said over his shoulder, "By the way, that unicorn nearly gored me because I was taking so long to collect its hair."

Harry snickered at Neville's expression.

His grandmother paid for the wand, a wand holster, and a wand care kit, much to Neville's surprise.

Once Ollivander had finished straightening up, he eyed Harry. "Now, Mr. Potter, lets see what we can find for you."

"You don't, by any chance, happen to have another wand with one of Fawkes' feathers, do you?"

"No, Mr. Potter, I don't. And the Phoenix wouldn't give me one yesterday either, when I asked Albus."

Harry frowned. Did that mean Fawkes didn't like him using his feather? Or that he wasn't worthy?

He looked up as the Headmaster put a hand on his shoulder.

"Whatever you're thinking, Harry, don't. I asked Fawkes why he wouldn't part with another feather and he seemed to think you and your magic will grow more with a different wand core now."

"More?" he hissed. "I don't want it to grow more."

The Headmaster smiled as Ollivander put a box in front of him. "I guess the protection of a brother wand is out of the question then," he muttered so low that only Dumbledore heard him.

"This one is another holly wand with a different Phoenix feather in it. Eleven inches."

With trepidation, Harry picked it up and flicked it. To his horror, the wand splintered down the middle.

"Dear Merlin. I'm sorry. I'll pay for that one too."

"Nonsense, Mr. Potter. This happens occasionally."

Harry groaned in embarrassment.

As Ollivander scurried to get another wand for him to try, Dumbledore leaned over and whispered, "you couldn't have counted on that protection forever."

"I know," grumped Harry. "Doesn't mean I won't miss it, though."

"Yew. Unicorn tail hair. Eleven and a half inches."

Harry picked it up and flicked it. Much to his disbelief, an entire shelf of wands collapsed, causing Ollivander to snatch it back and disappear down another row.

"I don't feel so bad about the window now," snickered Neville.

Harry glared at him. He then eyed Snape and beckoned him over. "What's your wand made of?"

Before the man could answer, Ollivander came back with a dark colored wand. "I'm curious, Mr. Potter. Ash. Eleven and a quarter inch, with three crushed scales of the basilisk you slew as its core."

Harry raised an eyebrow (subconsciously mimicking the look Snape often gives people) and made to pick up the wand. The second his hand touched it, the front window shattered - again.

Ollivander still seemed excited. "Was worth a try," he muttered.

He then glanced back to Snape (while Moody repaired the front window this time).

Snape was smirking at Harry.

He simply rolled his eyes.

"It's birch with a dragon-heart string," he finally whispered in his ear.

Harry then eyed Dumbledore.

The Headmaster laughed. "Not today, my dear boy. Maybe some other time."

Harry grinned and nodded.

"Cherry wood with a dragon-heart string. Very flexible."

Before Harry even fully touched it, Ollivander yanked it away and began muttering under his breath.

"Mr. Potter, what's your favorite thing to do?" called the wand-maker from somewhere deep in the shop.

"Fly!" he called back.

A minute later, the man appeared with a dusty box. He took the lid off and grinned. "Ivy with a snidget feather as its core."

Harry picked it up, flicked it, and watched Neville dive to the floor (narrowly avoiding a jet of white light).

"Geez, Harry, I said I was sorry."

As Harry helped him up, he heard Ollivander mutter something about the right track as he, once again, disappeared into the stacks.

Severus watched in slight amusement as Harry tried wand after wand. When the window was repaired for the third time, he leaned over toward Albus. "How long do you think we'll be here?"

"No idea," the Headmaster replied cheerfully.

Thankfully, he'd gotten his wand on the fourth try. He doubted he would have been able to sit still back then for as long as it was taking Harry to get his new wand.

Forty boxes and an hour later found Severus reading a conjured book. Tonks, he saw, looked utterly bored. Moody was staring out the window - no doubt looking for subversive dust bins or some such. Albus and Augustus were talking about something to do with transfiguration. Longbottom and Harry were chatting quietly while Longbottom and his wand got acquainted. He had no idea what the invisible order members were doing to keep themselves amused.

Perhaps another twenty minutes had passed when he glanced up to see Ollivander giving a shrewd, calculating look toward his son. It immediately caused his body to go on alert.

The box the man was holding was easily covered in five inches of dust. However, when he opened it, he saw that the wand looked recently polished.

The second Harry put his hand on it, the boys' eyes widened. A swish through the air caused it to emit red and gold sparks accompanied by a whirlwind like the one that had circled Longbottom earlier.

"Curious and wondrous all at the same time."

He saw Harry grinning. "What type is it?"

"It took me well over eight months to craft that wand and I've had it for almost fifty years."

"What is it?" pressed Harry.

Severus found himself curious as well.

"It's an eleven and a quarter inch Ivy wand. Smooth, supple, and its core contains seven finely ground up Chimera Scales."

The windows on the front door of the shop shattered.

Harry, who had been admiring his new wand, immediately turned and cast, "Protego"!

(After all, he had his wand, why would it shatter now. Surely this was an attack.)

Except ...

Harry's eyes widened in disbelief. He meant for his shield to be thrown over Snape and himself. In a way, it did. What he hadn't meant was for the shield to encompass the whole room.

He heard Moody give a gruff of a laugh. "It was accidental magic, Potter. Release the shield so I can fix the window."

He blinked slowly as he released the shield. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Snape about three shades paler than he should have been.

"Little over enthusiastic there, my dear boy," chuckled Dumbledore.

Harry scratched his head. "I ... uh ... guess so. I didn't make that window break, by the way."

One of the invisible order members started laughing.

"Albus, will you explain ...?" began Ollivander.

"Yes. Once we get back to my office."

Now Harry was really confused. Explain what? He watched as Snape paid.

"Everyone returning to Hogwarts, take hold of the sock. Otherwise, thank you for the guard. I'll be in touch shortly."

In the blink of an eye, he found himself in the Headmaster's office.

"Mr. Longbottom, I'm sure you'd like to finish visiting with your grandmother. When you're done, head on down to lunch. It should be starting soon. If Ms. Granger or Mr. Weasley ask where Harry is, tell them I have him. He will be in his Charms class."

"Yes, sir. Thanks for taking me."

"C'mon, Neville. I want to show you the proper way to clean your wand."

"Coming Gran!"

Harry watched as they left the room.

"Any particular reason you exploded the glass in the door?" asked Harry as he stared at Snape. He didn't know for sure the man had been the one that had done it, but he had a gut feeling that it was him.

Snape grunted. "What do you know of Chimera's?"

"I know Hagrid wants one so that probably means they're dangerous."

Snape groaned. "Of course he would want one. They're classified as XXXXX."

The Headmaster laughed. "Since they are so dangerous, that makes the wand core temperamental. Once a temperamental wand and its core choose a wizard, no one else can safely use it - unless of course, its allegiance is won - which is a different topic entirely. That means, under no circumstances, are you to let your friends use your wand."

Harry frowned. "I wouldn't anyway. My wand is a personal thing to me."

"What the Headmaster is trying to say is that while your Phoenix core wand might have allowed another user - in say an emergency situation, your Chimera scale wand will not."

He groaned. "I'll need to warn my friends then. The last thing I want is for them to get hurt."

"That's an excellent idea. Now, as for the spell you cast, did you mean for it to encompass the whole room?"

He felt himself flush. "No, sir. I just meant to throw it over myself and Professor Snape."

Snape raised an eyebrow at him. "And why, pray tell, would you have done that?"

"To protect you."

"I don't need any protection," he snarled out.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Harry, humor me and cast a shield charm using only about 10 percent of your power."

He stood and walked away from his chair. "Protego!"

He watched in horror as his shield knocked everything off of the nearby shelves. He quickly cancelled it.

"That's what I was afraid of," muttered Dumbledore. "You and your Phoenix wand grew with each other, as such, your wand - more or less - knew how much power you intended to put behind a spell and adjusted."

"So, I'm not a natural at controlling my power then?" he asked, horrified. All sorts of terrible scenarios crossed through his mind.

"I'd say you still are, however, until you and your wand get used to each other, then you are going to have some difficulties with how you normally gauge your power."

"Why would his wand need to get used to him?" asked Snape. "It either works or it doesn't."

"Harry, does that wand feel any different than your Phoenix wand did?" asked Dumbledore as he peered over his half moon spectacles.

"Yes," he said without any hesitation. "Every time I touch this wand, it almost feels like I can feel my own magic. I never felt that with my other wand."

The Headmaster nodded, as if he expected that answer. "Had Ollivander not had you try your other wand, this one would have chosen you as well. I'd wager, of the two, this one would be considered your main wand."

"But ... how can I have two wands?"

"It happens occasionally. Your mother had to get a second wand her sixth year because she hexed Potter so hard for being an idiot that her wand splintered."

"She did?" he asked, wide-eyed.

Dumbledore nodded. "Severus' grandfather had to have a second wand as well."

Snape snorted. "That's because the imbecile sat on it, causing it to break."

Harry laughed before he could stop himself. He then focused on Dumbledore. "Uh, sir. I have a charms exam on size charms after lunch."

Dumbledore scribbled out a note. "Give this to Professor Flitwick. It explains how you need to get used to your wand before you should attempt the practical portion of your test."

"Thank Merlin Voldemort didn't take my wand around my O.W.L. exam time." He then paused and thought for a moment. "I have no idea how to explain all this to Ron and Hermione."

"Tell them the truth. Tell them that you need to get used to your new wand. Explain how Longbottom practiced with his while you were still trying to find yours."

"I'd suggest making liberal use of the Room of Requirement over the next couple of days."

Harry sighed. "All right."

"If you head on down to the kitchen, you have time for a bite to eat before your charms class."

He nodded. "Yes, sir." That said, Harry left the Headmaster's office and headed toward the nearest secret passage that would take him to the kitchens.

A/N: I'm so incredibly sorry about how long it's taken me to update. My grandfather died on November 1st and ever since then I've had a big problem on focusing on something longer than five minutes at a time. Thankfully I had already had most of this scene written and I kept trying to add on another scene where Harry explained to Ron and Hermione about how they couldn't use the wand and whatnot and that almost always ended up with Hermione being a real Witch and Ron jealous. Once I finished trying to write that scene entirely, the next chapter just all of a sudden started pouring out of me. I should have known better than to fight the muse, lol.

Anyway, I'm still struggling a lot but I am taking time to write a bit each day. I really do appreciate all the reviews I'm getting and they really do encourage me, but sadly depression has been thumping me on the heart, head, and hands. I do believe I'm getting a little bit better day by day, so hopefully you all won't have to wait as long for the next update. I'd wager I'm halfway through the next chapter now.

As for why I chose what I did for Harry and Neville. Neville got the same wand he got in the book. As for Harry, I played around with it a bit and done quite a lot of research for magical animals and the types of wand. Sadly, I have no idea where those notes are at the moment. So when I post the next chapter, at the bottom, if most want it, I'll explain my meaning of giving Harry the Ivy and Chimera wand like I did.

And in case I'm asked about the accidental magic that Snape is showing. He's always been able to contain it ... until it comes to being surprised by something Harry does. He's still having a very hard time fathoming Harry is as powerful as he is. And honestly, he never even remotely considered him getting a wand that contained that core. hehe

*leaves out extra sweets and food to somewhat appease the long wait everyone had to put up with*