"First things first, robes. You might want to look around for some other clothes too. Those ones will be alright in the summer, but its gets chilly in the winter."
Clothes are definitely needed, I forgotten how many times I've stuffed my hands in my pockets to try and warm them up.
"They say to go to Madame Malkins, that's where I would take you anyway."
I go into the purple painted shop and a squat, smiling witch comes up to me asking, "Hogwarts dear?"
"Yes."
"Just the usual then, cloaks and robes and everything. You just stand there, I'll get you all measured up."
In no time at all, I'm back out on the sunlit street with a package full of new black robes. I go into the shop next door and get some more casual clothes too. I decide against buying the colour changing hoodie for 10 galleons.
Then after getting some new quills, ink, parchment and the like, we go into Flourish and Blotts. I can't help but stare. There are books, everywhere and I'm not over exaggerating. The walls are lined with books the size of my pillow, other tiny ones the size of my small finger and one that I swear moved when I touched it's spine.
While Andromeda gets some other books, I buy all my school stuff, and a few extras. I get quite a few of the 'Standard Book of Spells' books after I saw all the different wand work I could learn from just one. As well as that I got things like Hogwarts: A History and The Book of Charms and Spells and A Guide to Wand Work. And a few others. I ended up getting quite a few more books than I needed.
Then we went into the Apothecary to get Potions and Alchemy supplies while trying to avoid the glare of the old witch who smelt like she had been eating some of the ingredients raw for the past decade. After that I got some new phials and a bunch of other stuff from different shops.
I was half forced into Eeylops Owl Emporium when Andromeda told me, "You really can't be without an owl, I mean, cats are ok, but rats and toads? No, owl's are by far the best."
We stared around the dark, weird smelling room, scanning for an owl that I liked. Eventually, right at the back of the room, I saw to reflective eyes staring back at me. As I got closer I saw the outline of an owl with mostly black feathers but streaks of brown around its wings, neck and chest. I read the label beneath - Female Black Barn Owl: 16 galleons - Extremely rare. I called Andromeda and after a bit of negotiation we agreed we would pay 8 Galleons each. She wasn't going to fully pay for my Owl.
"Last thing now is a wand. We're going to Ollivanders for that." A wand. Here we go, this is what I had been waiting for. Andromeda opens the door of quite an old shop, mind you everything seems to be old around here, and inside it's quite dark. The air feels musty but tingling with what can only be magic. All I can see shelves and shelves of long rectangular boxes, presumably holding wands. Andromeda sits on a spindly chair, out of the way while an white haired man approaches me from the back of the shop.
"Now, who do we have here?"
"Ebony Warren, sir." The hairs on the back of my neck rise as he approaches, though I can't say why.
"Warren... I have sold to some Warrens but not to your family I don't think."
"You wouldn't have Ollivander, but you would have to my side of her family." Andromeda says from behind me.
"Ah, Andromeda Black."
"It's Tonks now." she sounds quite stern all of a sudden. I come to the conclusion that she may not want to be closely associated with the family that disowned her.
"Ah, congratulations. Rowan and dragon heartstring, 13 inches, fairly bendy if I remember rightly?"
"Still have it here." She smiles again, relaxing slightly, and pulls her wand out from her robes.
Ollivander goes over to her and holds it, he then, well listened to it. Well, I mean, that's what it looked like, he put it up to his ear and everything. This is strange. "Yes, still very devoted to you, well kept too."
A shower of red sparks flies from the end. "Very good condition."
He then turns back to me, "Now, your wand. Let's see, right handed?"
"Um, yes?" I didn't mean to say it like a question but something was unnerving about the whole thing.
"Hold out your arm then," I watch him as he starts to measure me with a long silver tape.
"You seem to be older than those who usually come to me, is this your first?"
"Yes."
"Intriguing. Well, Miss Warren, every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand. Have you used a wand before?"
"A bit." He had let go of the tape all together and it's continuing to measure me by itself.
"Now, what to try you with... that's enough now." he calls off the measuring tape that was measuring each of my fingernails. Bit silly if you ask me. They grow to different lengths everyday.
He fingers a lot of different boxes before settling of one and pulling it out. He then hands me an intricately designed wand, much better looking than the one I used at school. "Blackthorn and phoenix feather, ten inches, unyielding..."
It is taken out of my hand barely before I could get a touch of it.
"No, no, let's try Ash and Unicorn hair, thirteen and a half inches, swishy..."
Again apparently that was definitely not right, apparently. I have no idea what I'm meant to be looking for. We try a few more, and I lose track of the different woods and cores and combinations I've tried.
"No problem, we'll find one that matches you eventually." He then looks at me, with wide shining eyes, and I almost feel like I'm being scanned. "Now, let's think about this. Your name would suggest Ebony wood, funnily enough, and your family history would suggest dragon heartstring."
He goes to the back of the shop and pulls out yet another wand.
"Ten and a quarter inches, pliable."
I take it, but it doesn't feel any different.
"Almost, that was closer..." I am completely confused with this man. "Hm... lets try... yes that could work..." he takes out a box from the far back of the shop, "Ebony and unicorn hair, eleven inches, reasonably supple."
I take the wand and immediately feel different. A sudden warm came through the dark wood, not dissimilar to the warmth I felt when performing magic previously. The handle was carved into curves, a simple yet elegant design and the end was straight and smooth. I swish the wand, and a shower of white sparks shoot out the end.
"Very well done, natural, yes, definitely that's it!" Ollivander cried. Andromeda smiled and clapped. Ollivander takes the wand and puts it back in its box, then wraps it in brown paper.
"Thank you very much, Ollivander." Andromeda says.
"No, no, my pleasure. Very good to see you again." He bowed us from his shop.
British people are weird.
YOU ARE READING
The Black Winged Marauder
Fanfiction"It isn't my choice though, it's yours." When he says it like that, it suddenly becomes very clear. "I'll miss you." "Just make sure you write, don't forget all about me." "I won't forget you, I promise. But I need to do this." *•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*...
