Hermione stared in wonder looking at all the wands the students had made. A few were a little clumsy looking. Two of them looked all but flawless. The one on Morgan's desk was beautiful, light ash with an intricately carved handle. Merlin's wasn't carved like Morgan's but it was lovely, distinguished, very classic.
"Very nice choice of wood MacMillian though it is a crude construction. If we were implanting a core it would fall out. Work on that." So they don't have cores in them, interesting. They must have just been working with wood.
"Yes, of course. Thank you Professor. I will do better." MacMillian bowed his head in shame as Salazar moved on. Hermione couldn't help but anticipate his appraisal of Morgan's wand. It was lovely, but would Salazar think so?
"I see Morgan. You have chosen Ash for your wand. Why is that?" Salazar asked looking at the detailed wood work. From where Hermione sat she could see what looked like vines and snakes crawling up the handle.
"Ash wands are fiercely loyal and lose power if taken from their owner. They produce excellent magic but falter under arrogant hands." Hermione saw Morgan glance at Merlin as she said this before looking back to Salazar.
"I see. Regardless the woodwork is beyond acceptable." Hermione seethed in her chair. Morgan deserved more than that half-cocked compliment. Morgan's was easily the most beautiful and proportional wand. Hermione kept her silence though, eyes narrowed as Salazar moved on to Merlin.
"Now Merlin, you have chosen." Salazar's brow shot up in clear surprise. "Interesting. Yew, and your reasons?"
"Yew wands, yew wood, is very rare. They make for exceptional dueling wands with an affinity for strong curses. Those best suited for yew wands are often fierce protectors. Someone to be wary of." Salazar smirked down at Merlin giving him a curt nod.
"Very good Merlin. I am impressed. Finding a yew tree from which to procure your wand must not have been an easy task. Though it could have used more design in the wood." Merlin flinched at the critique. "Though not every wand needs to be pretty." Salazar added. He gave the wand back to Merlin. "That being said, Morgan you will carve the ebony wood for Draco." The class, including Hermione despite her surprise, clapped politely.
"Thank you Professor." Morgan stood giving a bow as Salazar placed the ebony wood at her desk.
"The next hour will be passed in complete silence. I do not want the magic disturbed." Salazar commanded eying the class.
"Salazar, before you begin." Draco spoke up for the first time. Walking over to Morgan he dropped down, speaking to her quietly. Hermione didn't know what they were talking about but Morgan grinned as he finished, giving him a nod.
"Finished?" Salazar asked looking at Draco. "We need to begin." Draco nodded pushing off Morgan's desk returning to his spot. "Now. Absolute silence." Salazar reiterated. Morgan had already set to work on Draco's wand inaudible whispering spells, slowly carving the ebony wand, slimming it down though it appeared as if she were keeping it relatively long. Hermione's gaze went to Salazar, her hand flew across her parchment as she took notes.
Salazar had a deep concentration on his face. The fang was floating in the air, a bubble of magic around it. Salazar said nothing only moved his wand slowly. At first Hermione wasn't sure anything was happening, then she saw it. Small slivers of the fang peeling away in minute particles. Hermione heard it then, a faint humming emitting from the bubble. It remembered Hermione uneasily of the orb that had brought them there. One glance a Draco and Hermione knew he was having similar thoughts. Pure magic radiating in sound and light.
Hermione watched in awe over the next forty minutes as both Morgan and Salazar worked. What the devil? Hermione narrowed her eyes looking at Morgan. She had split the ebony in half, her fingers, and wand working quickly. As she hand carved one piece, her wand echoed the movements perfectly on the other. Her eyes moved back to Salazar. The bubble in which he had placed the fang had begun to glow and pulse just like the orb had, though the light from the fang was a soft pink. Part of Hermione wondered if the Chimaera had been female.
The bright the glow became the more anticipation Hermione felt. She assumed Salazar knew what he was doing though it did little to cull the anxiety in her stomach. Pure magic was not something not to be trifled with.
"Salazar." The sound of Morgan's voice drew Hermione's attention. "I am ready when you are Professor." She grabbed both pieces of wood, rushing to his side quickly.
"Good, the fang is ready to be placed in the wood." This was what Hermione had been waiting for. "Now if the wood rejects the core we might have to use another wood." Salazar didn't look at Draco but Hermione felt the comment had been intended for her. Salazar moved, placing his hand in the bubble and slowly withdrawing the fang. He placed it in the groove Morgan had carved. Hermione saw Salazar visibly relax. The wood had done nothing, the core was compatible.
"Now, for the hard part." Salazar steeled himself, placing both hands on either side of the bubble. Hermione didn't know what he planned to do, then she saw it. Salazar had opened the bubble letting the glowing pink shavings fall into the wand along it's length.
"Now, Morgan, combine the two." Salazar still had his hands around the bubble, though no more shavings fell from it. As Morgan combined the two pieces of wood, she slid her wand over it whispering a spell Hermione didn't know. Simulais. Hermione assumed it was specific to wands. Would it have worked on Harry's wand? Was it a lost spell? The wand glowed brightly as Morgan finished, turing thrice in the air, then the glow and hum both were gone in a flash.
"It is done." Salazar looked at the wood in pride. He had bottled the remaining Chimaera essence. "Draco." He presented the wand to him. Hermione saw then, that on the handle Morgan had carved fire licking up it as well as what looked like scales. Probably, knowing Draco, Dragon scales. He seemed the type, to Hermione, to want something manly and powerful associated with his wand. Snake scales didn't even cross Hermione's mind, though it should have been her first guess.
Taking the wand, Draco gave it a whirl before pointing it at a vase. His spell was nonverbal but the vase levitated, did three somersaults and then set back down. That seemed to be what Draco wanted though as he smirked.
"Yes, this feels right. Without a wand a wizard feels defenseless. Not something anyone likes, and the carving is quite beautiful." Morgan blushed under Draco's compliments.
"Thank you Professor Malfoy. I hope it's to your liking. I tried to capture the look of the Chimaera scales like you asked." she stammered, her face only growing more red. Chimaera scales? Hermione hadn't considered that. They did have dragon tails, begrudgingly Hermione admitted to herself that it was rather fitting.
"You've done well." Draco told her, a smooth tone in his voice that made Morgan giggle. The smile on his face, though slight, Hermione knew it was because Morgan had giggled. It bothered Hermione. He was a teacher here! He wasn't supposed to be flirting with the students even if Morgan was probably seventeen.
"Now class, in two days time we will be back here for your next session. In that time I want you all to study the Chmaeras' body. It is preserved in the dungeons. I expect a foot of parchment on it and I want you to propose a new material for wand core." The class nodded taking their assignments and exiting the room. Mogan had shot one last look at Draco before she left.
"That was amazing, really. I knew a lot went into making wands but that was phenomenal." Hermione breathed, only she Salazar and Draco had remained in the class. Draco, who now looked quite annoyed at Hermione's presence clicked his tongue. "Is it always like that?" Hermione asked clutching her notes.
"Is it always like what Miss Selwyn?" Salazar seemed to be in a better mood and wasn't short with her to Draco's displeasure.
"The humming magic, the lights, all of it." Hermione's eyes were bright, cheeks flushed, she looked truly excited. In that moment Draco couldn't help but find her kind of pretty. Ugh. No. Granger? Pretty? That just didn't make sense.
"That depends on the strength of the core." Draco didn't know why, perhaps the apt way Hermione listened, but salazar went on. "All cores have magical properties some are simply stronger than others. A kneazle hair will work and the witch or wizard might be strong but put a stronger cored wand in their hands like Draco's and they will produce stronger spells. Not to say the wand makes the wizard stronger but it will make the spells match the power of the wizard.
"I see. So even if you put a powerful wand in the hands of a child the spells will only be as strong as he is. That makes sense. Do you think that a wizard or witch can grow to become more powerful than their original wand?" The pure shock on Salazar's face made hermione looked at him worried. Had she said something wrong? Asked a personal question without knowing it?
"You know, I have thought that very thing is possible." Draco rolled his eyes as Salazar spoke. He knew that look, the look when teachers began to fall for Hermione's intelligence. As the two talked, Draco left the room unnoticed.
"Not only their power but do you think that a drastic change in personality might warrant a new wand?" Hermione asked. "How would one know when it's time for a new wand?"
"Yes, I do. When people change suddenly, completely, in a lot of ways their magic changes too. Sometimes for the better, sometimes to where they can't produce magic with that wand at all. When the magic in a wand begins to waiver, I think most people suspect it's time for a new wand." It made sense, Ron's magic got better in their third year, not exponentially, but better. He had gotten a new wand, one that chose him and wasn't gifted to him.
"It is all very interesting. It's a shame that more students don't have the aptitude to study it." Hermione mused, looking over the notes she had taken.
"Indeed the ability to procure a wand, to feel the pull of cores and wand wood is not something just anyone can do." Salazar had begun to study her face carefully as they spoke. "I feel I may have misjudged you Miss Selwyn. Forgive me." His sudden apology caught Hermione off guard but she softened easily.
"Worry not Salazar." Hermione smiled. "I think we have all done the same thing at least once. It's part of human nature I suppose." Something about his gaze made Hermione edge away, the more she thought about misjudging someone the more uneasy she felt. "I think I have to be going now." She suddenly felt the urge to apologize to Draco. He might have changed and she was still treating him like he was that eleven year old brat from her past. "I'll see you at dinner Salazar, perhaps with more questions."
"Any questions of yours dear lady I'd be happy to answer." Smiling from ear to ear Hermione left the classroom looking for Draco to apologize. Rounding the corridor she found him standing there waiting, a pensive and brooding look on his face.
"Draco." Hermione had almost run into him.
"Granger." The cold in his voice and use of her name caught Hermione off guard. He turned to face her, his expression dark. "Tell me. How does it feel?" Hermione could sense he was trying to remain calm.
"How does what feel?" hermione felt breathless, her heart beginning to beat erratically. She had never been afraid of him before but as he stepped toward her, new wand in his hand, she was afraid. Surely he wouldn't attack her, not in the middle of the day, at Hogwarts!
"How does it feel knowing that even centuries in the past you're still the teachers pet?" He stepped into her space, forcing her back to the cold, hard, stone wall. Hermione stared up at him, her brown eyes wide blinking in confusion. "Tell me!" He demanded his voice rising making Hermione flinch. His eyes looked almost silver in their animosity. Hermione felt her bottom lip tremble as his wand touched her. Why couldn't she move? She had faced worse. She had faced Bellatrix!
"I love it." Hermione bit out grasping at her own anger to remain strong. She wasn't weak. He wasn't going to intimidate her simply because he was bigger and taller. "I love being the most clever person in the room." She added her eyes narrowing.
"Damn it woman." Draco's free fist pounded into the wall beside her, though it sounded soft, as it he had used the meaty part of his hand and not his knuckles. "You irritate me so fucking much." He had one arm beside her head now, and his wand still touching her stomach through her dress. "Why do you have to be better than everyone?"
"I don't have to be better." Hermione argued vehemently his chocolate gazing meeting his silver. "I just am and if you don't like it - " Hermione's words were cut off as Draco pushed into her space fully. "Stop it." She stuttered not liking the way he was looking over her face.
"You're so annoying." He spat and then, before Hermione could blink, Draco pressed his lips to her hard almost bruising them. Hermione didn't know what to do, she stood there frozen, eyes open staring at his face. His brow was furrowed and he looked as if he were contemplating a hard decision. Draco tore away from Hermione glaring at her for a moment moment. "Go bother someone else." He told her darkly. Not knowing what else to do, still in shock, Hermione slipped out from his arm and all but ran back to her own quarters.