Chapter 7
After finding everything else on her school supply list it was time to get Violet's wand. Harry takes her into Ollivanders and looks around, the creaky old man doesn't seem to be in the shop so Harry sits violet down in a familiar looking half crushed chair and walks to the counter. An old bell sits on the counter, Harry doubted it would even work but rang it anyway. There was a crash and a fumble from somewhere else in the store before Ollivander's head pops up from under the desk. He hasn't changed even a little since Harry got his wand so many years ago.
"Ah , eleven inches, holly, phoenix feather core." Ollivander looks at Harry closer squinting slightly.
"Am I correct?" he asks and Harry nods, chuckling nervously, the old man always made him uneasy despite being so nice.
"As always." Harry turns to look at Violet who is watching the interaction closely.
"Who would have thought Holly and Yew would make Cherry and mahogany?" Harry's face morphs into a confused expression before he turns to Violet again,
"I have something I need to get so.. I'll leave you in Ollivander's care and be right back alright?" He asks and Violet nods slowly, after Harry leaves Ollivander looks closely at the girl catching her off guard.
"You're a bigger one huh?" he asks before a tape measurer comes out of nowhere and measures around her stomach by itself. It doesn't stop with just her stomach, measuring her height, her width, each individual finger, and even between her nostrils.
"Name, age, bloodstatus, blood type?" Ollivander asks quickly, making Violet's head spin.
"Pardon?" she asks as Ollivander walks around her looking at her closely. He doesn't slow down his line of questioning even a little,
"Favorite flavor of ice cream? Height? Number of baby teeth? Do you have any siblings?" Violet doesn't understand any of the questions being thrown at her.
"Does this have anything to do with the wand I pick?" She asks suddenly and Ollivander stops and tilts his head at Violet.
"Oh no my dear you don't choose your wand." He leans in closer to her, Violet could smell him quite clearly at that distance, he smelled like wood finish.
"The wand chooses you" Ollivander disappears behind a corner and there is a crash before he pops back out with a box, Violet didn't understand why he couldn't have given her a wand from one of the towering box piles around her.
"Burch, twelve inches, whippy, Unicorn hair." Ollivander hands Violet the wand, she rolls it around in her hand. It's suddenly snached out of her hand and replaced by a heavier and shorter wand.
"Oak, ten inch, phoenix feather, sturdy." He says and Violet looks at the wand not actually waving it around as most young wizards do but just inspecting it carefully. After about a dozen wands Ollivander seems just giddy not even telling Violet what he's giving her anymore, instead switching the wands out before she can even grab ahold of them. Ollivander then disappears after Violet holds a fancy looking wand with a delicately carved handle, she flicks it in her hand and a red ball flies out of the tip knocking over one of the piles of wand boxes. Ollivander pokes his head out again and Violet blushes deeply,
"I-i'm sorry I didn't mean to!" The creaky old man takes the wand from her with a smile,
"It's quite alright, it happens all the time." He replaces that wand with a much lighter hue almost white, the handle was part of the wand itself but tapered to indicate which end is supposed to be held. The length is a little ridiculous but something about it is inviting and warms her soul the same way cooking with her mother does. Violet is surprised when instead of snatching it out of her hand Ollivander stands next to her watching her move the wand in her hand.
"How… curious" he says softly walking around her inspecting Violet more than the wand. Violet felt the familiarity of the wand and it seemed to pull the breath from her, she flicks the wand cautiously flowers sprout from the end like a magic trick rather than actual magic catching Violet off guard. Ollivander claps happily before taking the wand from her, placing it in the box, and handing the box back to her.
"I made this wand when I was younger… my first couple years in business, have you ever had a near death experience?" He asks leaning in close and Violet shakes her head quickly.
"N-not that I know of…" Ollivander stands up again, humming to himself and stroking his chin.
"how…Curious." he points to the box in her hands pushing it into her chest.
"This is a twenty inch wand made of willow wood, now before I decided to use less difficult to obtain cores I used a large variety, this wand has a Lethifold tooth core," Ollivander smiles excitedly,
"A terrifying creature, only one wizard has survived an attack using a Patronus charm." He walks behind his desk ringing Violet up with her wand still explaining the wand.
"It's an incredibly bendy wand impossible to snap, believe me I made sure, a wand with that core prefers non verbal spells but what is most curious…" Ollivander looks at her as she pays for the wand, Violet gets worried that Harry hasn't returned.
"A wand with a Lethifold core only chooses a wielder who has had a near death experience." Violet thinks to herself, she had only been with her family for her entire eleven years alive but babies have near death experiences all the time, she knew she was born a bit early so that could be what it meant.
"Be careful what spells you think about and have a wonderful day" Ollivander smiles at Violet before disappearing behind the mountains of wand boxes again.
Harry comes in a moment later looking as if he needed to use the bathroom looking around,
"Have you finished?" he asks and Violet looks confused still holding the box up to show him she had indeed gotten her wand.
"That was quick" Harry drugs and Violet's eyes widen in surprise at his statement.
"It could have taken longer?!" she asks and Harry chuckles, taking the box and looking at it.
"It's…a bit long isn't it?" Harry asks, opening the box and looking at her wand closely.
"And plain, well that's good a flashy wand can make people too confident." He hands the box back to her with a smile,
"Come on, I got you something." he smiles walking her out of the wand shop.
"When I was your age, That big guy you met before, Hagrid. He took me around here when I was your age." He smiles and Violet looks up at him as they walk.
"You didn't go with your parents?" Violet asks and Harry chuckles nervously. He decided to spare the awkward conversation with the eleven year old and shook his head.
"Uh no…" He keeps walking, Violet screws up her face in confusion before looking back up at him.
"Why?" she asks, looking at the ground, her steps are small so she has to hop as to not step on the cracks, Violet would never do anything to hurt her mother.
"They weren't able to…" Harry answers cautiously, trying to not dwell and have to explain the tragic death of his parents to such innocence.
"Why?" Violet asks again, hopping over the cracks has now become a game, she was winning and those times she missed didn't count at all.
"Uh well, oh look we're here" Harry changes the subject pointing to the store they stopped at. Violet expected it to be Wizarding Wheezes from before but was surprised to see a sign that read Eeylops Owl Emporium. Violet looks up at Harry, confusion reading across her features and Harry smiles down at her excitedly.
"When I was your age, my friend Hagrid bought me my very own Owl, Hedwig was one of my best friends. We had a wonderful bond and I want you to have that too." He explains and Violet's eyebrows crease together.
"Mum says wild animals can hurt you." she says softly, making Harry laugh.
"These aren't wild animals, these are wizard owls!lo;p- Every young wizard should have an owl! How else will you send letters to your family from hogwarts. Violet thinks for a moment her face scrunching again,
"With a pen?" she asks and Harry snickers before opening the door for Violet watching her walk in.
Violet is overtaken by the sheer amount of birds in the store, owl after owl, sleeping, squawking, some flying overhead. Harry smiles down at the young girl placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I had a snowy owl named Hedwig, she was my first true friend." Harry Reminisces about his owl wistfully,
"I-I don't know if I have enough money for any of these owls." Harry chuckles softly, shaking his head.
"That is exactly why I said I got you something" He walks to the counter leaving Violet to look at the owls around her, Violet sees a large owl with feathers that look like horns staring right at her, it took Violet a moment to realize the owl's head is looking at her but it's body isn't facing her. Violet can't help but jump backwards when she realizes running into another cage, causing another smaller owl to screech at her. Harry wraps an arm around her shoulders guiding her out of the store without another incident.
"Are you alright?" He asks when they get outside and Violet nods, not noticing the still clattering cage sound despite being outside of the store.
"Yes, yes I'm fine, thank you." she says softly and Harry chuckles handing her the cage, A small long legged owl stares at her through the cage. It still has white fluffy down feathers with black speckles decorating its belly. The starts of brown flight feathers have begun to peak at its sides.
"He's still quite young but… I thought he could grow with you." Harry suggests softly and the young thing's large gray eyes seem to glare at her.
"He's a burrowing owl I hope that's alright uh what are you going to name him?" Violet looks at the small thing in the cage which turns to face away from her.
"I'm not sure." she says softly, before looking back up at Harry, who chuckles.
As they make it back to Ron and George's shop Violet's mom is holding Petunia close to her while shaking the familiar half giant Harry had introduced earlier. Arigog was talking with James reluctantly, while Dudley stands behind his wife almost hiding while he eyes the large man.
"Ah! 'Arry!" Hagrid motions for Harry and Violet to come closer, while Arigog looks up as if he heard someone say his name. Dudley's wife hugs Petunia before grabbing Violet as well and wrapping both of her children in a bone crushing embrace.
"Oh my girls!" she says fondly before looking up at Hagrid, as Petunia pouts slightly.
"Thank you so much! Once again" Jenna smiles at the tall man and Harry looks up at him as well.
"You found Petunia?" he asks and Hagrid beams happily, obviously pleased with himself.
"Ye, She was easy to see o'er the crowd cause she was dressed in muggle clothes." He chuckles. After everyone has their supplies they go home to wait for the school year to officially start.