AN: My thanks go to KSummer, GryffindorHealer, and dumnonian for their highly appreciated help.
A fortnight before Christmas, a thin blanket of snow had covered the landscape like icing sugar, only to turn everything into mud a few days later. There would be no white Christmas, just like in most years Harry could remember. But unlike in the past, when he was looking forward to having a snowball fight with Emily and Tonks or building a snowman on the Quidditch pitch - this time, he didn't mind. There were more exciting things in his life now.
Meeting the Weasleys and his friendship with Ron changed his life, and ever since the Floo Connection to the Burrow had been established the previous week, he no longer had to rely on others to meet his friend. But today, all of that was overshadowed by something he'd been looking forward to for days - his first trip to Diagon Alley to buy the very first wand of his own.
Of course, breakfast had been a quick affair. Harry hastily made a sandwich and gratefully accepted a mug of tea from his mum. Moments later, the familiar roar of flames in the living room announced someone's arrival via floo.
Harry loved the floo. He could chat with his friend whenever he felt like it or pop over for a quick visit after dinner. He'd quickly gotten used to the convenience.
"Ready to go?" Tonks's voice called from the living room
"Ready," Emily answered eagerly, leaping up to put away her dishes.
"Me too," Harry responded quickly, shoving the last of his sandwich into his mouth and washing it down with a quick gulp of tea, nearly burning his tongue in the rush.
"Go on, you two. I'll be right there in a bit," his mum said, setting the washing up to work with a flick of her wand.
They were set to meet the Weasleys in London and walk together to Diagon Alley. Though the alley was often deserted these days, they'd arranged an appointment with Madam Abercrombie very early in the morning to avoid prying eyes. As Bill had mentioned, strange happenings still stirred in nearby Knockturn Alley, though mostly later in the day or at night.
When Harry walked into the living room where his sister was already waiting, Tonks was kneeling in front of the fireplace, talking to someone. Finally, she nodded and stood up. "The Weasleys will Apparate straight to London. Charlie is there, helping Molly. Lily, you know where we meet?"
Harry turned to see his mum stepping through the door. "Yeah, the old Apparition point just outside the Leaky Cauldron, right?" she answered.
"Exactly. Bill's already waiting there," Tonks said. "If you take Harry, I'll take Emily."
"That's fine for me," Harry's mum replied, offering her arm to Harry. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I can be," Harry muttered, stepping forward to put his arm around his mother to follow Emily and Tonks, who had already vanished through the Floo.
When they arrived, Lily glanced around warily. "Tonks and Emily must be waiting by the road already," she murmured. "It's incredible the old Muggle-Repelling Charms still hold up. Hard to imagine anyone's bothered to reinforce them."
As they stepped into the street, Tonks and Emily were waiting in front of a battered front door hanging askew on its hinges. Tonks pointed to the entrance. "We'll meet inside."
Harry gave his sister a questioning look as her face lit up, and she grinned at him. "What's up?"
"This is the Leaky Cauldron. Bill showed us the entrance when I was in London with Ginny the other day," Emily explained. "I can't wait to see what it looks like in there. Come on, Harry. I'm sure Ginny and Ron are already there."
Harry followed his sister through the door into the semidarkness his mother and Tonks had just disappeared into. In the dim light that barely illuminated the spacious room, Harry made out several tables with chairs leaning against them, some broken. The whole room smelled of dust and old tobacco smoke that must have crept into every crack in the wood panelling that lined the walls over the years. Harry grimaced in disgust as he caught a sweet, stinky smell he didn't want to know where it came from. With quick steps, he followed the voices across the room, along a long counter with empty shelves behind, to a door that led outside. Well, not directly outside, but to a brick wall blocking the further way.
While Emily walked straight up to Ginny and hugged her, it took Harry a moment to spot Ron talking animatedly to his brother Charlie, who was apparently telling him about his adventures in Diagon Alley as a schoolboy.
"Hi, Ron. Hi Charlie," Harry greeted as he joined them.
"Hello. Listen! Especially the younger ones among us," Bill called and waited until it was quiet and everyone gave him their attention. "This is the entrance to Diagon Alley. To open the entrance, you need your wand." Raising his own wand, he said with a smirk. "Or you must be in the company of someone who has a wand. All you have to do is tap the right brick, and the wall will open up, and that's the third up and second across from the trash can." Bill paused, his eyes wandering over his audience. "But if the trash can isn't where it's supposed to be, or you forgot which brick it was..." he turned to the wall with a grin, "…then just pick the one with the most scratch marks on it. Who knows how many wands already left their marks here over the centuries."
Bill demonstrated how to open the entrance, and a small hole formed where the brick had been, quickly widened into a large archway.
"Okay. Follow me! And stay together," Bill called as he stepped out onto the cobblestones of the alley that came into view on the other side of the archway. Briefly glancing back, he uttered, "Charlie, Dora. You two go last and make sure no one is left behind," and continued on his way down the alley.
Harry followed his mother, who was walking with Mrs Weasley just behind Bill, and halted briefly to make sure Ron was next to him. Every so often, their shoulders brushed as they walked in silence, their eyes flicking around warily, scanning for anything out of the ordinary.
The sight of the facades of the houses lining either side of the alley was eerie, and the absence of living beings made Harry feel queasy. Most storefronts were boarded up, some had signs announcing the stores were closed as if the boards hadn't already made that obvious. Torn off boards on several shops were probably the evidence of burglary attempts.
Harry glanced at Ron, who seemed just as edgy as Harry himself. "Spooky," he heard Ginny whisper to his sister.
"What a shame," Mrs Weasley growled, her voice grave. "Diagon Alley used to be such a hectic place with hundreds of people busily wandering around."
"Some new shops have opened up recently," Lily said, pointing to a house down the alley. "Over there is the apothecary I deliver ingredients to every other week. A little further down, a new shop sells magical creatures."
"The big white building at the end of the alley is Gringotts," Bill explained. "I hope you brought Galleons with you. Without an appointment, you don't get money from the goblins these days."
"We have enough money with us," Harry's mother replied. At Mrs Weasley's hesitant look, she added, "Dumbledore arranged with Madam Abercrombie that we can pay in instalments if necessary."
Bill briefly turned back and called, "Please, stay together!"
"Why?" Ron asked, glancing at Harry for agreement. "There's no one else around here."
"You never know," replied Bill.
"Sometimes, dark figures lurk around the side streets, waiting for anyone who's wandering alone," Tonks added, nodding towards a nearby street. "Especially over there in Knockturn Alley."
Harry frowned. "One of you should teach us how to defend ourselves. Now that we'll get our new wands, we should know how to use them, right? We can't always have someone watching over us."
Ginny gave him a brief, approving look. "Bill, would you do that for us?"
Bill flashed his sister a wry smile. "Sure, Ginny." He turned to Charlie with a smirk. "I can count on your help - and that of your girlfriend, right?"
Charlie just grinned. "Dora's always loved a good duel, especially against me."
Tonks raised her eyebrow at him, amused. "That's because I love winning."
It wasn't long before they halted in front of an ancient, narrow house with slim display windows on either side of the door. Above the entry was written in squiggly, scarlet letters: Madam Abercrombie's Wand Shop.
"That's Ollivander's former shop," Harry's mother explained. "Madam Abercrombie bought it from Ollivander's niece."
"That's odd," Mrs Weasley said wonderingly. "They always said Ollivander had no relatives."
"How about you just ask her," Charlie suggested, grinning. "I'll wait here with Dora and Bill to watch out. It's too cramped inside anyway."
"Good idea. Let's go in," Harry's mum said, pulling open the shop door.
"You first," said Harry and let his sister pass, who grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her with her.
The shop was indeed cramped and gloomy, Harry realized as he walked in. A wide desk was blocking the way into the room beyond, which looked more like a short corridor lined with shelves packed with boxes on either side. The scenery was lit by an aged oil lamp hanging above the desk, giving the older witch sitting on a chair behind the desk a slightly spooky appearance.
"Ah, I assume you're the customers Albus announced," the woman said warmly, rising from her seat. Harry couldn't tell how she did it, but the moment the witch rose, the ceiling lit up, bathing the room in a cosy, warm white light that transformed the shopkeeper into a friendly-looking granny. Her lively dark eyes couldn't hide the fact that she was hardly younger than Dumbledore himself.
"Indeed we are," Harry's mum replied with a cordial smile. "We are looking for wands for our children that will serve them better than the used ones they currently have. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a wand shop in Britain for a while, at least not that I know of."
"Yes, yes," the witch replied, laughing to herself. "My husband and I moved to the Caribbean many years ago, but now that my dear Jeffrey has passed away, I've wanted to return to London, even though the weather isn't too kind to my old bones."
"I'm sorry for your loss," said Mrs Weasley sympathetically. "How did he die, your husband, if I may ask?"
"Without a doubt, because of his old age," the older woman replied with a dreamy smile. "My dear Jeffrey was ten years older than me, and I'm not exactly young anymore, either." She looked up. "A distant niece of Garrick's was living in our neighbourhood who inherited this shop some time ago." She sighed. "Drusilla didn't want to come back here under any circumstances, so I offered to look after the business for her."
"But you're a wand maker, aren't you?" Mrs Weasley asked, looking a bit sceptical.
Madam Abercrombie nodded in amusement. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. My Jeffrey was the wand maker, but I've worked with him all my life, learned everything I need from him. But that's enough about me. Who of you wants to be the first to get your wand?"
"Ladies first," Harry said, giving Ron an apologetically shrug when his friend pouted at him.
"Oh. Come on, Ginny," Emily said in a playful tone, pushing her friend forward. "You're the first. All you've been talking about for days is that you can't wait to get your new wand."
Ginny scowled at her friend, rolled her eyes and muttered, "If you're such a coward, I'll just volunteer."
"And you are Ginny, if I understand correctly," Madam Abercrombie addressed her. "Have you got a wand yet?"
"Yes, this one," Ginny replied, pulling her wand from her back pocket.
"May I have a look?" the shopkeeper asked, holding out her hand. She studied it carefully and nodded thoughtfully to herself. "I take it you aren't happy with the wand. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here today."
"The wand does a decent job on simple spells, but as soon as it gets complicated..." Ginny shrugged. "You have to be patient."
"At least you've learned to be patient." Madam Abercrombie chuckled. "Let's see if I can find you something better." After eying Ginny once again, rubbing her thumb and forefinger thoughtfully together, she began to browse the shelves, occasionally pulling out a box and examining the wand. Most of them she put back on the shelf, shaking her head. Once a wand passed her inspection, she placed it on her desk. After selecting a good dozen boxes, she took the wand from the top box and handed it to Ginny. "Wave it."
Surprised, Ginny raised her eyebrows as gasped as red sparks flew from the tip of her wand.
"No, this one isn't right," Madam Abercrombie said. She handed Ginny the next one but instantly took it from her hand. "This one doesn't work either."
When none of the wands responded to Ginny, Madam Abercrombie re-examined the first one again that had created the red sparks. Scratching her head, she murmured, "Yew wood with a core of a unicorn's tail hair. Let's see what other yew wood wands I have."
Once again, she searched the shelves, occasionally pulling out a box. "Yew wood wands aren't as common as one would think," she explained. Returning with half a dozen boxes, she offered Ginny another wand. "This one has a core of dragon heartstring."
When Ginny took the wand, green sparks flew from its tip.
"That's better," commented Madam Abercrombie. "But still not good enough."
When the woman wasn't satisfied with the next two wands either, Harry glanced furtively at his watch. They'd already been in the store for almost half an hour and still hadn't achieved anything. He'd thought buying wands would be easier. When he looked up again, Madam Abercrombie inspected the penultimate wand, a deep crease on her forehead.
"If you don't have a wand for me, I'll keep my old one," Ginny interjected, looking a little disappointed.
"Don't worry, love," the older woman replied, offering her a relatively short wand. "Here, I have something very special for you. Try it."
The moment Ginny touched the wand, a fountain of golden sparks shot out of its tip, startling Ginny so much that she almost dropped it.
"Fantastic," exclaimed Ms. Abercrombie. "Who knew you were such a passionate witch. Seven inches of yew wood with a Griffin feather core. Griffin feathers are very rare to find these days. That's why only very few wands have such a core."
Proudly examining her new wand, Ginny gave Emily a triumphant look. "Now it's your turn, Emm."
"Yeah," Emily nodded and stepped forward, barely hiding her nervousness.
"There's no need to be nervous, my dear. I won't bite you," Madam Abercrombie said, chuckling. "What does Emm stand for?"
"Emily. My name is Emily," Harry's sister replied.
"Emily is a lovely name. Well, Emily. Let's see what I can do for you."
It took only 10 minutes before Emily proudly held up a nine-inch wand made of rowan with a core of phoenix feathers.
"Excellent. Excellent indeed," exclaimed Madam Abercrombie. "Rowan works best for the clear headed and the pure hearted and is known to produce powerful defensive spells. I'm sure you'll be very happy with your wand, my dear."
Beaming, Emily called out, "Thank you Madam Abercrombie."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief as the girls left the store to wait outside with Tonks, Charlie and Bill, and Madam Abercrombie finally asked who was next. Determined to be last, he nodded at Ron to let his friend go first.
"And who are you?" the woman asked as Ron walked up to the desk and looked at her expectantly.
"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron replied, handing her his wand.
"Ash wood," Madam Abercrombie said with a slight scowl. "Ash wood wands are usually powerful. But only for their first owner. Ash wood wands shouldn't be passed on. They lose their power and agility when doing so. You certainly need another wand, my dear. Let's see what I have for you. I think we'd best try a willow wand."
And sure enough, Madam Abercrombie quickly found something suitable for Ron, a 14-inch willow wand with a core of unicorn hair.
"And who are you, young man?" Madam Abercrombie finally turned to Harry.
"Harry Potter is my name, Madam Abercrombie," Harry introduced himself.
"Potter?" asked the woman. "The name is not that rare, but do you by chance know someone named Euphemia Potter?"
"That's his grandmother," interjected Harry's mum. "You knew her?"
"We had mutual acquaintances and therefore met occasionally," Madam Abercrombie nodded with a dreamy smile. "But that was long, long ago, right after we graduated from Hogwarts when we were still young and unwed."
Astonished, Harry took a closer look at the woman. Her face was wrinkled, but her grey eyes sparkled vividly. Was she really as old as the grandparents he never met?
"Sadly, Euphemia passed away before Harry was born," his mother said as if reading his thoughts.
"Oh, I didn't know that. I'm really sorry," Madam Abercrombie said, visibly touched. "At that time, we were probably already in the Caribbean and rarely heard any news from home." She sighed. "Euphemia got married just a few weeks before me, and after that, we lost contact." Her eyes rested on Harry. "But you certainly didn't come here to hear boring tales from an old woman. Let's see what I have for you."
Much to Harry's chagrin, it turned out that finding a suitable wand for him wasn't that easy. Several times, Madam Abercrombie had returned from the shelves with an armful of boxes, but not one even worked remotely for Harry.
As the stack of boxes on the desk grew, Madam Abercrombie's scowl darkened with each wand that didn't work as she had hoped. She paused, eying Harry thoughtfully. "Maybe..." she began, then shook her head, "No. It can't be."
"What can't be?" Harry asked glumly, fearing the woman wouldn't find a suitable wand for him.
"No. It really can't be," Madam Abercrombie replied, shaking her head again. "That would be such a coincidence..."
"What?" Harry asked again. His mum and Mrs Weasley also stopped their quiet conversation and looked up. Ron had already gone out to show his brothers his new wand.
"When I took over the store, the shelves were empty. There wasn't a single box in it. But when I was cleaning, I found a box that must have slipped behind the shelves. Wait a minute. I remember where I put the wand. It was a very rare piece, made by Ollivander himself."
She bent down and pulled open one drawer of her desk after the other, only to close them again with a grunted "No."
"Ah, here it is," she exclaimed as she reappeared behind the desk, holding up a black box. She took out the wand and studied it. "Holly, 11 inches, with a phoenix feather core. Such a wand is very difficult to make. Holly and phoenix feathers are hard to combine. Ollivander put a lot of work into it. Try it, Harry."
As Harry took the wand, he felt a sudden warmth flow through his fingers, which immediately spread to his hand and forearm. He raised the wand, and a stream of red and gold sparks shot out of the end like fireworks.
"Wow," Harry blurted out. "That's the right wand, isn't it?"
"Oh, that's quite obvious, isn't it, my dear," confirmed Madam Abercrombie, a relieved smile on her face. "What a coincidence. You'd think the wand has been hiding here all these years, waiting for you. Of course, I can't accept money for this wand. It's not mine, and I'm sure Ollivander's heirs don't want it back either."
"But then I can't take it, can I, Mum?" Harry shot his mum a questioning look, hoping with all his heart that he would be allowed to keep the wand after all.
Judging by the way she looked, she wasn't sure what to do either. "Maybe we can..." she started.
"Just keep the wand," Madam Abercrombie insisted. "Who knows what this coincidence is good for?"