Riddle And Grindelwald (Book 3)

25. Twin Cores

Genevieve secretly wished that it was her returning to Hogwarts, not Draco. As her times at school had been some of the happiest moments in her life.
Everything had been much simpler then, but now her life was fraught with death and danger.
She was worried about how Draco was getting on with his missions, but she had more pressing things on her mind, as Tom continued his attack on the wizarding world.
Genevieve felt that she could not turn a blind eye much longer, as the death toll continued to rise.
A girl in Harry's year named Hannah Abbott, had been taken out of school, after her mother had been killed by death eaters.
The Abbott's were pure-bloods on the Sacred 28, and even they weren't safe from Lord Voldemort's wrath.
Families and loved ones were being ripped apart, all so that one day, Genevieve and Tom would rule the world. Knowing this did nothing to improve her fragile state of mind.

"I've done it!" Exclaimed Tom one evening, as he entered the study where Genevieve was reading.
"You've done what?" Questioned Genevieve.
"I've finally cracked Ollivander" revealed Tom.
"So, he's going to give you the information you require?"
"Yes. After weeks of torture, eventually he has cracked, like I knew he would. And I want you to come with me, so that we can learn this new piece of information together"
"Let's go then".

Genevieve and Tom headed to the Malfoy Manor and entered the cellar together.
Very few people could get passed the magical enchantments around the dungeons, so Tom wasn't worried that Ollivander would ever escape.
As Genevieve followed Tom into the cellar, and looked upon the wandmaker for the first time in over a month, she saw just how far he had fallen.
Ollivander looked weak and ready to drop dead any second.
His hair was long and dirty, and his robes were thin and tatty.
He is was in such poor condition, that he was struggling to stand up.
Genevieve could see how thin he had become, and she hated that she was married to a man who had allowed an old man to be mistreated in such a way.

"So, Ollivander, are you ready to answer my questions today?" Asked Tom.
"Yes" rasped Ollivander.
Genevieve could see that after being tortured and starved for so long, Ollivander had lost all of his fight. He had given up.
Tom smiled triumphantly and removed his wand from under his robes.
"Good. Now, tell me exactly what happened between my wand and Harry Potter's, in the graveyard after I was resurrected" replied Tom.
Ollivander sighed, "Your wand is 13 and a half inches long, and made of yew wood. Mr Potter's wand is 11 and a half inches, and made from a Holly tree. The wands may be different in appearances. But, your wand reacted the way it did in the graveyard, because your wand and Mr Potter's share a phoenix core".

"Explain" demanded Tom.
"Your wand core's are both phoenix feathers, and they come from the same bird. Which makes the wands brothers" informed Ollivander.
"So, what exactly happens when a wand meets its brother?" Questioned Tom.
"The wands will not work properly. If the wands are forced to do battle against each other, a very rare effect will take place. Priori Incantatem".
"The reverse spell effect?" Frowned Genevieve.
"Yes. When the two brother wands connect, one of the wands will force the other to regurgitate the spells it has performed, in reverse, so the most recent spells would come first, and then those which preceeded it" answered Ollivander.

"This explains a lot" mumbled Tom.
"Vee, tell me again exactly what happened in the graveyard, from your perspective" replied Genevieve.
"Well, when Potter's wand and mine connected, a bright light and an eerie phoenix song filled the graveyard. My wand felt hot beneath my hand, as if it was going to catch fire. Then strange spirits began erupting out of my wand. All of the people I had recently killed, stood all around me in ghost form; Cedric Diggory, Frank Bryce, Bertha Jorkins, and Potter's parents. They dived on me, obstructing my view of Potter, and when they disappeared, the boy was gone. They helped him to escape" revealed Tom.

"More figures would have appeared, the longer the wands stayed connected" Ollivander said quietly.
"Amazing" murmered Genevieve.
Unlike Genevieve, Tom seemed angry at the revelation of the twin cores.
"You say that when brother wands meet, they will not perform properly. Does this mean that I will never be able to kill Potter with my own wand?" Asked Tom, as he looked down at the wand in his hand, almost with disgust.
"No. Brother wands will never allow their masters to kill each other" answered Ollivander.

Tom swore angrily, making both Genevieve and Ollivander flinch.
"But there must be some way around this twin core connection!" Shouted Tom.
"The only way I know of, is to use another's wand. That way you can be sure that you will be able to kill Harry Potter, for your wand will not be his wands brother anymore" informed Ollivander.
"By my wand is more powerful than any other. It chose me!"
"Your wand is powerful, and it will perform perfectly, unless Mr Potter is your opponent. Your wand will not allow you to ever kill, or seriously harm the boy"
"Well, that's just great".

"Calm down Vee. You can keep your wand, but just use someone elses when the time comes to kill Harry. You have dozens of death eaters, all of whom would allow you to use their wand. This isn't as big a setback as you fear" reassured Genevieve.
"I suppose temporarily using another's wand to kill Potter, isn't the end of the world. Once the boy is dead, my wand will continue to perform well for me, as it always has done" replied Tom.
"Exactly, so there is no reason to worry".

"They say that the wand chooses the wizard. So, I must say that it is curious, that Potter and me share a phoenix core" admitted Tom.
"I said the same thing to Mr Potter, when his wand chose him" Ollivander said quietly.
"I assume that Potter's wand is the only brother my wand has" replied Tom.
"Yes. The phoenix, who's tail feather resides in your wand, only gave one other"
"Are you sure? For I do not want to have any other problems in the future"
"I am sure".

"Phoenix's are rare, so why did you only take 2 feathers from that particular bird?" Questioned Genevieve.
"That is all the animal was willing to give, and I did not want to take more feathers against its will. I know where the bird lives, so I could make more wands from it, if I really wanted to, but I do not" answered Ollivander.
"So, you know this phoenix's owner well then?" Quizzed Genevieve.
Ollivander's eyes widened, "N-No".

Tom frowned, "Why are you lying to my wife?"
"I-I'm not" stuttered Ollivander.
"You should know by now, that I do not like lied to. Crucio!" Screamed Tom.
Genevieve turned her head to one side as Ollivander dropped to the floor, and began screaming as he writhed around in pain.
She couldn't watch the old man suffer, but she knew better than to interfere.
So, she kept her mouth shut and her head turned, until Tom stopped torturing Ollivander.
"I will try this again. Who is the owner of the phoenix, who's tail is in my wand?" Demanded Tom.
"D-Dumbledore" whispered Ollivander.

Tom groaned, "Of course the bird belongs to Dumbledore".
"I'm not surprised. My father once told me a story about the Dumbledore family. They say a phoenix will come to any Dumbledore in need. And Dumbledore has been a part of this since the beginning. So, I'm not shocked to learn that the phoenix causing all these wand issues, belongs to Dumbledore" admitted Genevieve.
"Dumbledore has a habit of butting his nose in where it isn't wanted. It doesn't matter though, because when the time comes, I will kill Harry Potter, and not even this twin core connection can stop me!".