CHAPTER FIVE
Malefic never understood the need for a wand. Well that wasn't true, she understood it. From an academic perspective.
Certain spells if she remembered correctly from Granny's lessons required a wand, a tool to concentrate precise amounts of magick. She had never performed these spells and she had never thought she would.
Of course she never thought a lot of things before Goetic showed up to deliver her letter so currently that was a rather unreliable source.
Regardless, a wand was a tool that was more often than not unneeded. At least it would be unneeded if wasn't used as an easy outlet to magick.
What many witches didn't understand was that magick was like a muscle, the more you trained it the stronger and easier it would become to use. Using a wand was like using a cheat code.
And yes, okay fine. A wand didn't always mean weakening your magick. A wand could also be an extension of yourself, another muscle to further develop. But it was just that, you had to develop it. "Train with your magick with and without a wand," Granny had told seven year old Malefic despite at the time it was thought she would never have a wand, "Strengthen both so that you can utilise both." Sometimes it surprised Malefic just how un-Granny-like Granny could be.
Malefic was comfortable without a wand, it was familiar and it was safe. To throw in a wand that had the risk of dampening her potential, it was a risk that she was hesitant to take.*
Never let it be said that she wasn't related to Gomez Addams however because her hesitance hadn't stopped her from entering the wand shop.
Granny was beside her, being the only other borne witch in the family meant she was the only one that the wards let in and Facilier was around her neck, looking like a leathery scarf. As her only two companions they weren't offering much support but it was something nonetheless.
"Former Lady Frump." Malefic's head turned slightly to look at the man who had spoken. He was in short a manic looking man whose eyes were just a tad bit too faraway and had an air that screamed 'I'm insane', Malefic found this endearing. "And..." His too light blue eyes darted to look at her. Malefic felt an odd prod in her mind, one that she had never felt before and never wanted to feel again. In her minor panic she threw up unintentional walls in her mind, the presence retreated in what felt like mild surprise. His eyes widened a fraction and then they narrowed. "Apologies, we haven't been introduced."
"Malefic Addams, Lady to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Addams," Malefic replied, feeling highly suspicious of the man before her.
"Well met Lady Addams," he murmured not once blinking. "Garrick Ollivander, Lord to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Ollivander."
"Well met Lord Ollivander. If you don't mind my asking, what were you attempting to do in my head?" She asked bluntly.
Granny let out a loud cackle before Ollivander could think of a response. "Did 'ickle Mandy's —" ("Malefic," the girl corrected) "— mind defeat the gifts of the Ollivander house?"
"Gifts?" Malefic asked her titled head being the only sign of her intrigue as everything else screamed boredom.
Granny clicked her tongue. "I haven't gotten the chance to teach you yet, different houses inherit different gifts from Lady Magick. The House of Ollivander —"
"— inherit the gift of Divination and Mind Magick," Ollivander finished. "Although those are loose labels as our family is rather... special in regards to the magick."
"Special?" Malefic asked now arching an eyebrow as well as titling her head.
From around her neck Facilier made a tutting noise. "Should've known that Frump wouldn't teach you the important things first. We should kill her first."
"Family Magicks are gifts as the wand maker said that are granted through Lady Magick and passed down from one's bloodline. Peverells are known for their Death Magick, Slytherins for their Parsel Magick and so on. Ollivanders are known for a combination of Divination and Mind Magicks, they read your mind and from that a thread is weaved in their mind about who you are, who were and who you will be which is of course where the Divination comes in. In my time Leon Ollivander was the Lord of the House and through highly entertaining means I found out that no one in memory has ever been able to evade their Legilimency," Granny lectured in her teaching voice that always managed to baffle Malefic ever so slightly.
Malefic decided not to remind Granny that she hadn't fully delved into Mind Magicks yet so what Legilimency was and how to prevent it she didn't know because she had all ready played out vulnerable cards to the wand maker that now knew she had lesser bouts of information on vital studies than he.
"Yes, no one until now of course," Ollivander murmured still staring at Malefic. "Lady Fate has plans for you Lady Addams, that much I can tell which is why I am delighted to find what your wand will be. Which is your wand hand?"
"I'm ambidextrous," Malefic answered instantly. "Although based on the little wand lore I have read that isn't all to important."*
Olivander did not reply, only rummaging through boxes that lined the multitude of shelves behind the counter. He sometimes murmured something as he stared at the wands in the long boxes then at Malefic, sometimes shaking his head and sometimes taking the box into his arms.
Eventually he moved back to the counter and all but dumped the wands that he had collected onto the surface. "If you please Lady Addams," he said indicating that she should move closer.
Malefic did not need further prompting and approached the counter. She moved to take the wand in the first box that Ollivander opened but her hand got stuck hovering over it.
"No," she said simply pulling her hand back.
Ollivander frowned. "No?"
"No," she repeated pointedly looking away from the dark wooded wand that lay in the velvet lined box.
The crazed man's frown deepened but he said nothing, only closing the box and opening another. Malefic's hand barely moved before a sharp sting filled her arm and she jerked back.
The wand maker didn't need any further prompting to close this box as well and open the next. She almost touched this one, her finger tips brushed the mahogany coloured wood before they stopped and she calmly pulled her hand back and shook her head.
And so the process went, Ollivander opening and closing boxes containing wands that Malefic sometimes almost but never touched.
Uncharacteristically both Granny and Doctor Facilier were quiet, watching the process with equally calculating eyes. Ollivander became either all the more excited or all the more agitated, Malefic couldn't quite tell. Eventually she got through the wand pile that Ollivander had chosen for her and followed the man behind the counter down the isles of wand boxes, hoping to find what her magick was telling her to.
And eventually they got through the whole store as well, having found nothing.
"Hela," Facilier hissed, "stand in the middle of the store and let your magick flare. Should you feel a pull, follow it."
Malefic didn't ask why, only walked past a muttering Ollivander down the middle most isle and stopping about a third of the way down.
She tugged at her magick core and felt it rush to her finger tips.
"No, flare it. Let it go," Facilier instructed.
Malefic frowned, unsure of how to do this. With that thought in mind her conscious delved to look at where it had only been once, her magick core.
Malefic stared at her core, it looked just as it had this morning only now she was aware of the concentrated strands that led away from her core and toward what she guessed were her fingers. She moved around the core, examining it. The part where the concentrated magick was being pushed out seemed to be a little gap, an open gate of sorts.
Perhaps...
She reached to the little gate, ignoring the flash of raw power and emotion that came from the core, like that morning she would examine that later. The gate closed for a moment at her contact until she pulled at the side of it and made it bigger. She pulled at it until all around the core the closed off power had a large gate to escape.
She flowed away from the core with a the now free magick until her conscious was pulled back to the forefront of her mind.
The first thing she noticed was the tingling sensation she felt all over her skin, a glance around made her realize that this feeling was being caused by her magick as well as the magick around the shop jumping on and off her persons.
The second was that the magick in the air was visible to her. Small sparkles and strands of different colours danced all around her.
"Lady Addams!"
Malefic came out of her slightly awed daze at the sight of the magick and looked at Ollivander who was staring at eyes so wide they practically made up his entire face. "What did you do?" He asked, not in fear but rather a tone that sounded borderline awed.
She didn't bother answering, having noticed the magick that was wrapping itself around her like a rope and attempting to pull. It was a dark silver colour and little gold sparks popped off of it like fireworks. What was most odd was that it was pulling from to different directions, like both ends of the rope were being pulled.
Malefic glanced back, this end of the rope seemed to lead out of the store and spread out the alley as far as she could see through the shop window.*
She looked at the other end, this one pulled from down the isle. Without much thought she followed the pull.
When she reached the end of the isle she turned left, following the pull of the rope further. It led her to a wall and the rope went down.
Her features pinched ever so slightly as she bent down. Her fingers skimmed over the floorboards that the rope went through and she was baffled to feel the flurry of wards that were concentrated beneath this specific floorboard. She pulled her fingers back when she tried to reach out to the wards and undo them only to get a sharp pain through her body.
"Lord Ollivander," she said turning to look at the man who had been watching her silently. She paused for a moment, hesitating to ask the wand maker for what she needed. "There are wards beneath this floorboard, I am unable to undo them would you be as kind as to do it for me."
One thing that Malefic hated was saying that she was unable to do something. It caused a burn in her chest to admit such a thing, and to admit it to someone she had all ready shown so much vulnerability to made it even worse.
"Wards?" Ollivander questioned. "I was not aware of any wards." Malefic moved out of the way so that he could see for himself. As his hand touched the wood he let out a quiet 'hmph'.
Malefic watched as the wand maker took out his own wand and waved it over the warded area. The magick coming from Ollivander was a yellowish gold that had tints of dark purple and a light blue woven between it. The shapes it took was truly breathtaking, with each ward taken down a different shape of Ollivander's magick came forth. First an old key, then a hand, then a sword, it was mesmerizing to watch.*
Finally as the final piece of warding was undone the strongest bout of magick that Malefic had ever been exposed to hit her like a truck. It wasn't unpleasant, rather soothing if she were honest much like how she felt when walking around barefoot in the family graveyard.
Malefic knelt down again and watched with bated breath as Ollivander lifted the floorboard via magick.
The wand that lay beneath the wood didn't hesitate after release. It flew from the black cushion it was nestled on into Malefic's hand.
Malefic stared at the wood in her hand, it hummed in greeting. It was, well, odd (and coming from someone that was an Addams that meant a lot). The wood didn't make her feel more capable per say however she did feel a rush of energy, as well as a feeling of finding out you've unknowingly been missing a limb until it grew making you realize you weren't exactly complete.
The wand was beautiful, a very light brown in colour although some spots were more white. It had the slightest curve and the end that Malefic held had a stone that she could idetinfy as apache stone. Beneath her palms she felt little indents that she knew where sigils, she knew she would delve into those once she got home.
"Lady Addams, if you would allow me," Ollivander said holding out his hand to inspect the wand.
Malefic stared at him, her eyes shining with contemplation. After a moment she wordlessly gave the wand to him.
The wand did not like that.
Angry red sparks filled her vision and a moment later Ollivander was slumped against the wall and the wand was in her grip once more.
"Hela, as much I would delight in your magick suffocating him to death, perhaps it's best to close off your core again. Your first kill should be meaningful and a frazzled old wand maker is not that, perhaps we can come back to kill him around your fourth or fifth killing," Facilier muttered finally saying something that was more in character for him. Honestly, Malefic had been wondering when the author would make his voice known again.
Malefic urged for her magick to flow back to its safe space where she could access it later, the magick followed instruction with no complaint and soon she no longer felt or saw the raw magick that surrounded her. She did note absently that her magick felt less contained and ready to jump to use at a moments notice.
"Granny," Malefic called out calmly as she stared over Ollivanders slumped form.
"Yes, Miranda?" Granny called back, all ready starting to approach Malefic if her footsteps were anything to go by.
Malefic didn't bother to correct Granny on her name and only patiently waited for the witch to find her. Seconds later Granny came around the corner and looked at the sight before her in — was that delight?
"First a witch and now your first murder!" She exclaimed in delight. "Oh Melissa, I knew I was right not to feed you to Cousin Cypress!"
"Only a Frump would be delighted in the case that I was murdered," a disgruntled Ollivanders grumbled finally coming to and clutching his head as if trying to keep it together.
Granny made a disgruntled noise that Ollivander, having seemed to opt to ignore his previous manners for the woman that he disliked, shot a glare at her for. He looked to Malefic, or more specifically her wand.
"I couldn't identify it further than willow wood," he grunted in distaste. "The wand is temperamental and picky with who touches it, which has clearly been established." Malefic found that she was enjoying the company of a disgruntled Ollivander almost as much as she enjoyed the company of crazed Ollivander.
"How much am I to pay?" Malefic inquired.
"12 Galleons and a vow to never point that wand at me," he spat.
Easy enough, should she ever need to kill the man she could send someone to do it in her stead or she could use her magick without a wand, knives worked as well. She gave the wand maker his Galleons and held her palms out as if holding a particularly light box.
"I, Malefic Addams, Lady to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Addams, vow that I shall never willingly point or use this wand against Garrick Ollivander, Lord to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Ollivander." A flash of dark green light lit over her spread out hands for a second before dissipating.
"Thank you for shopping," Ollivander told her. "Now blessed be and please never come back to my store."
"Perhaps we should move him to third victim, he is rather annoying," Facilier noted.
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LAST EDITED: 01/10/2022
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*Think of a wand as a sword, any old fool can swing around a sword. The trick is practice as then you can better you can use it. If you aren't fit then you will struggle to use that sword. The same could be said for wandless and wand-used magick, the less in touch and trained with your wandless magick you are, the more you will struggle with a wand.
* It does not actually matter what hand you use for wand casting as long as you can actually use your hand properly.
* The other pull leads in two directions, one of the pulls is the Elder Wand.
* Wards are like a series of different magickal protections that range from locks to dragons, both which cannot be seen by those that cannot see magick.