A/N: I know it's been a while since I updated Hope is Fleeting. I hit a creative wall and had to figure out where I was going with it and how to get there. Then Yule at Grimmauld Place took over. I hope to work more on this now that I think I have a feel for where it's going. This is a little interlude to tie up a plot hole I noticed when rereading it. Enjoy!
Story Arc 5, Chapter 1
It had been two weeks since the train had left Hogwarts for the summer. Harry and Sirius had spent a lot of time together getting to know each other. Madam Pomfrey had finally finished all of the treatments Harry needed except the daily nutrient potions. He would be taking them for the rest of the summer. At least he wasn't alone in that as Sirius also had the same potions. Harry and Sirius had full run of the castle and its grounds so each morning after Harry's session with his mind healer found them out at the Quidditch pitch flying. While Sirius was, in his mind, an accomplished flyer, he didn't hold a candle to Harry. Harry was out doing loops and speed runs between the ends of the pitch. This was Harry's form of relaxation. While he was on his broom, nothing bothered him.
Sirius called him down after an hour – the limit Madam Pomfrey had allowed – and they both headed back to the castle. Both Harry and Sirius looked much healthier. Harry had already gained weight and height. As they reached the Entrance Hall, Sirius noticed they had spectators. Amelia Bones was there waiting for them.
"Madam Bones, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" asked Sirius.
"The Wizengamot meets tomorrow. I wanted to go over the procedures to get you from the castle to the Ministry without being seen."
Harry popped up, "Can't he just wear my invisibility cloak?"
"While that would be possible, I was thinking more along the lines of Polyjuice. Once he's in the Ministry, we can keep him out of view until his trial. It should be the first thing on the agenda. I've already talked with Albus and he's made sure it will be handled first. I've also confirmed that there are no dementors on standby in the Ministry that day. Usually, if we know there's a trial of a serious crime, there's a pair of dementors on standby to escort the prisoner to Azkaban."
Sirius gave a sigh of relief, "Are you sure Fudge has no knowledge of this?"
"Yes, I'm sure. He was given the original agenda without the special addition. Arthur Weasley will pick up Miss Granger and bring her and his son to the Ministry. Harry, Andromeda Tonks will pick you up first thing in the morning and bring you to the Ministry," said Amelia.
Well, pup, I guess I'd better have her take you to Diagon Alley this afternoon. You need some decent robes for tomorrow and you also need a new wand."
Harry had almost forgotten about his holly and phoenix feather wand that he had broken during his 'breakdown.' Since he'd been on magic restriction anyway, he hadn't paid much attention to his absent wand. He hadn't needed it for the homework that he'd been working on.
"There's no need for you to bother Andromeda today. I'll have Nymphadora come over and take him to Ollivander's," Amelia said.
"Thanks, Madam Bones. I hope she's prepared for a long wait. It took forever for me to find my wand the last time. I'm glad it's gone, though. I hated having the brother wand to Voldemort's!" Harry replied.
Somehow, that little tidbit of information hadn't managed to be disclosed before so both Sirius and Amelia were shocked. They knew the effects brother wands had on each other. As much as Harry had loved that wand, he was glad that connection to Voldemort was gone too.
"I'm going to have to stop by Gringotts and pick up some money. I don't have enough for a wand, much less clothes," said Harry.
"That should be fine," said Madam Bones, "I'll have Tonks come to the castle about one this afternoon."
Harry and Sirius both agreed that was a good time and she was on her way.
Sirius looked at Harry, "While you are there, I want you to make an appointment with your account manager. We need to get your inheritance test done and see what's going on with your vaults. We also need to contract them to render the basilisk. Why don't you make it for Sunday morning? Gringotts is usually slow on Sunday mornings, so it will be a good time to be in there without causing much fuss."
Harry readily agreed. They went into the Great Hall where the elves were serving lunch to the faculty that remained. While Harry had been in and out of consciousness that first day, Sirius and Severus had had a meeting of the minds and agreed to put the past behind them. While they would never be good friends, they could at least be in the same room with each other without hexes flying. While they were eating, Hedwig flew in and settled on his shoulder. She shook her feathers and one long tail feather landed by Harry. Harry picked it up and looked at Hedwig. He quickly figured out that she wanted him to use that for his wand.
"I don't know if Mr. Ollivander can use owl feathers, Hedwig, but I'll gladly take this to him and see if he can," Harry said to his owl. She took a wing and gently slapped Harry on the side of the head as if to say, "Of course he can use owl feathers! He just chooses not to."
Professor Dumbledore had witnessed this and placed the feather in a stasis field so it wouldn't be damaged during the trip to Diagon Alley. Just as they finished their meals, Tonks sauntered in, "Wotcher, Harry! Ready for a trip to Diagon Alley?"
"Sure, Tonks! I hope you don't mind going to Gringotts first?" Harry asked.
"Nope, not a problem. I love riding in those carts! Plus, I get to help you pick out clothes! What could be more fun?" replied the Auror trainee.
Sirius said, "He needs formal robes for tomorrow. Get him a couple of day robes for now. Once I'm cleared, we're both going to need to go shopping on both the wizard and muggle side of things."
"What about you?" asked Tonks.
"Your mum took care of me last week. We were waiting for Harry to finish with all of his treatments before we went shopping for him."
Harry and Tonks went to the floo in the Hospital Wing and floo'd to the Leaky Cauldron. After a quick trip to Gringotts, where Harry remembered to make the appointment with his account manager, their first stop was Madam Malkin's. While the magical tape measure took Harry's measurements, Tonks looked over the selection and picked out a handful for Harry to look at. He'd expected Tonks to pick out some outlandish robes like the headmaster's, but she had a good eye for what he needed. His formal robe was a deep red with gold trim and the Potter crest on the left breast. For daily wear, she'd found a green, similar in color to his eyes, and a tan one. Harry was happy with the purchases. While they were being altered, they headed over to Ollivander's.
Ollivander still creeped Harry out, but at least he was prepared for the strange wandmaker this time.
"Mr. Potter. I didn't think I'd be seeing you so soon. Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches. Nice and supple. Don't tell me it's not working for you anymore."
Harry was a bit bashful to admit what happened, but before he could say anything, Tonks forged ahead, "Harry accidentally broke it. Took a header off his broom and landed on it."
Harry was relieved by the little white lie Tonks told. He pulled out the feather that Hedwig gave him, "My owl gave me this. She seems to think it would make a good wand."
Ollivander looked at the white feather, "Interesting. I've never heard of an owl feather used for a wand core, but there's always a first time. But something tells me this isn't all we'll need for your new wand. Have you been injured recently by a magical beast?"
Harry thought for a moment, "Well, I was bit by a basilisk last year…"
Before Harry could finish, Ollivander exclaimed, "A basilisk! Where did you find one of them?"
Tonks interrupted, "It's a long story, but it's dead now."
"Is there any chance you could get something from it? The heartstring, scales, blood, even venom?"
Harry stuttered, "Yeah, I guess so. But it hasn't been rendered down to parts yet."
"I'm certain that your potions master could help you obtain a small piece, even a piece of the tongue would work," Ollivander looked at Harry anxiously.
"Well, give us about an hour and I think I can get a bit," Harry replied.
"Excellent! You can even use my floo!" he said, ushering them to the back and the floo.
Harry came tumbling out of the floo in the Hospital Wing startling Madam Pomfrey. They quickly headed out with Tonks shouting behind her, "Gotta talk to a potions master about a basilisk tongue."
Sirius caught the last and followed them down into the dungeons. When they got to the Potions Master's office, Harry quietly knocked on the door and was bade enter. He explained to Professor Snape what he needed and was surprised that the man readily agreed. Severus wanted to take some of the venom for research purposes and Harry thought that was a fair trade. Once again, they all traipsed to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, only this time, Harry took the suggestion to ask for stairs and they appeared. When they got into the chamber itself, Severus went into professor mode and explained to Harry and the rest of the audience the proper procedures for procuring parts from a basilisk as it was the deadliest snake in the world. There was no antidote for its poison other than phoenix tears. It was so toxic, that most tools used for rendering animals would be rendered useless.
Severus pulled out a strange knife. It had a metal handle, but a crystal-like blade. Tonks looked at it and gasped, "Is that diamond?"
"Very good, Cadet Tonks. Ten points to Hufflepuff. The world's hardest substance can cut through the world's most dangerous beast without ill effects. Now, as the heart is still buried within the beast, the most accessible parts are the eyes, teeth, and tongue. The eyes are damaged, so that won't help, nor do I think the fangs would be useful. Therefore, a small slice of the tongue should be sufficient. Severus had brought dragonhide gloves to help. After magically opening the mouth and placing a rock to hold it open, he deftly sliced off a foot-long piece of tongue that was about an inch wide. He placed it into a crystal jar. He then took his blade and punctured the area where one of the fangs had been and allowed a few ounces of venom to fall into a large vial, before sealing the hole.
"There is much more here than Garrick will need to fashion you a wand, Mr. Potter. Perhaps a donation to his shop will offset the cost of your wand," said Severus.
"Thank you, sir! I'll suggest that," said Harry. They all headed back up the stairs and back to where they were before the interruption.
Garrick Ollivander was giddy with joy! Basilisk parts! Would they work as well as dragon parts? He hoped so. He was going to try! And the boy had brought more than enough for one wand. Now for the tricky part – matching the feather and tongue with a wood that would do it justice. He selected four pieces of wood: blackthorn, apple, chestnut, and rowan. Each had their strengths and weaknesses. He had Harry come over and see if he could make a connection with any of them.
"Why can't we just use Holly, again?"
"Holly is a tricky wood, Mr. Potter. It must be tamed in some respects. Matching it with the phoenix feather helped to balance the energies between the wood and the core. But with an unknown core or cores, we want a wood that is more stable."
Harry walked over to the table and tried to "feel" each of the woods. He picked up the Chestnut wood first. While he felt a small connection to it, it just didn't feel right. The same was true for the Rowan wood as well. Blackthorn felt better, but it still didn't work quite right. When he picked up the Apple wood, he smiled. This was the wood. Even in its blank state, it was warm and welcoming. Harry handed it to Mr. Ollivander.
"Well done, Mr. Potter. I think we can still expect great things from you. If you will give me an hour or so, I should have your wand ready when you return."
Harry thanked the wandmaker and then he and Tonks headed back to Madam Malkin's for his robes. Having a bit of time on their hands, still, they decided a trip to Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor was in order.
Harry enjoyed spending time with Tonks. She was funny. She told stories of things going on in the Ministry and was just a generally likable person. She talked a bit about Auror Training and things she'd wished she'd learned at Hogwarts (other than potions, of course). Harry was intrigued and asked her to help him learn some of those things. When she found out he could perform a Patronus charm, she wanted him to teach her that.
"Harry, you've got to teach me that! Half the Aurors can't produce one and you're only thirteen years old! We can trade off!"
"Well, it was Remus Lupin who taught me, so maybe we can get him to help you. It also helps to have a dementor nearby, but a boggart will do in a pinch."
"A boggart? I don't think that would scare me enough to produce a Patronus."
"Oh, Sorry! I meant you'd need me there too. My boggart is a dementor. Professor Lupin had one and we used it to help me learn it. The hardest part is finding the right happy memory," replied Harry.
Tonks almost said something but caught herself. She was sure that had been Harry's hardest part, but she hoped she did have more happy memories to draw from. They'd both finished their ice creams.
"Do you need anything else while we're here?" asked Tonks.
"Oh yeah, I need to go to Eeylops and pick up some more treats for Hedwig. I'm running low and she has earned them by giving me a feather for my wand."
Off they trekked to Eeylops and then back to Ollivander's. Mr. Ollivander was just finishing up with Harry's wand and rubbing it down with a polishing cloth.
"Excellent timing, Mr. Potter! I think you will be quite pleased with the results. It seems the owl feather balanced the basilisk tongue quite nicely. And the apple wood is perfect. I haven't felt such strength and pure joy from a wand in a very long time. Use it well, Mr. Potter."
Harry took the wand from Mr. Ollivander and was overcome with feelings of warmth and contentment. He thought he almost heard Hedwig say, "Now you truly are my Master!" and also the quiet his of a snake. Harry gave the wand a wave and a veritable fountain of colors erupted from it.
Tonks was bouncing up and down on her toes, "OK, Harry, let's see that Patronus!"
Harry took a minute to find his happiest memory and sunk into the feeling and said, "Expecto Patronum!" A brilliant silver stag shot out of the wand and galloped around the shop. When it detected no threat, it came over to Harry and nudged him with its nose.
"Thanks, Prongs!"
Both Tonks and Mr. Ollivander were staring at the stag. The positive feelings coming from it gave them both a very warm and happy feeling. Tonks reached over and tried to pet the stag, but her hand just moved through it as if it were a ghost.
"Merlin! That's one beautiful Patronus, Harry! Now I know you've got to teach that to me!" said Tonks.
Mr. Ollivander regained his composure and handed Harry a wand holster, "For giving me the extra basilisk tongue, I believe this will make us close to even. I believe that wand has chosen well."
Tonks and Harry went to the Leaky Cauldron to use that floo and were finally back at Hogwarts just in time for dinner. Tonks handed Harry off to his godfather, then took her leave. She would be with Madam Bones tomorrow escorting them to the Ministry.