A Portrait of The Black Heiress (Harry Potter)

Chapter V: I Am Far More Fascinating Than The-Boy-Who-Lived

Aglaia requesting, seemingly out of nowhere, to go and visit a Native-American wandmaker on her eleventh birthday, should probably have shocked and confused Regulus, but father and daughter had a peaceful unwritten rule of not getting involved in each other's business.

She was, after all, permitted to possess a wand and she had never seemed like the type to settle for any old wand. She must have done extensive research on what she wanted and who was the best wandmaker to do it and had settled on this Shikoba Wolfe.

Regulus let her be. She was old enough to make her own decisions and if her plan failed, they could always go to Ollivanders. It wasn't as though buying two wands was financially infeasible for them.

When Aglaia requested he wait outside, he did so and sat down to read on a bench.

Meanwhile, inside the small, inconspicuous-looking wooden hut, Aglaia presented the master wandmaker with her three most prized possessions.

The wood taken from the Tree of Life when she was seven. And the feather of a Thunderbird and the jewel of a Horned Serpent, both of which had been gifted to her by the respective animals when she was in America earlier that year.

"I want this wood being crafted into a wand," said Aglaia, holding it up. "I heard you are the expert on creating immensely powerful wands with a thunderbird feather as a core, so I brought one of those. And I'd like the wand to be decorated with this jewel crafted into the wood."

"I don't think I have ever come across a witch your age possessing the jewel of a Horned Serpent," said the witch suspiciously. "You know, the market on these things is extremely illegal and could give you a long prison sentence in this country."

"I didn't buy it," said Aglaia easily. "And I don't intend to sell it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be adding it to my wand. You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you how I managed to get it into my possession."

"Try me,"

"The Horned Serpent it belongs to gave it to me voluntarily after his jewel broke in a fight with a Thunderbird and he was in immense pain. It took me an entire day and a night to get rid of the now infected half of his jewel. In gratitude, he gifted me the other half."

"That is, indeed, a miraculous story and I would not have believed you if I didn't recognise the difference between a forcibly taken jewel and a voluntarily dropped one."

"There is a difference?"

"A forcibly taken jewel is smooth on one side, but almost flesh-like on the other. because it is as much a part of the Serpent's body as his tail is. This jewel was dried and smoothed by the Serpent itself before it was given. He parted with this voluntarily after you proved yourself to him," she said wisely. "However, I would not recommend crafting a wand with both this jewel and a Thunderbird feather. Those creatures are infamously hostile towards one another and that characteristic will be translated into the wand."

Aglaia deflated with disappointment. She had intended to craft the most powerful wand she could have managed to create with the ingredients that this world had bestowed on her. She was a firm believer of destiny and was so certain that these three powerful objects cannot have come into her possession if it was not meant to be put together.

"And what if I were to tell you that the owner of these particular ingredients were friends. And the Thunderbird had been protecting the vulnerable and sickly Horned Serpent?"

"I would once again have trouble believing you but that might change matters. Are you sure you want me to try?"

"Will one of the objects be damaged beyond repair if it doesn't work?"