Rose Granger-Weasley and the Unleashing of Power

Chapter 6. It's All About Trust

"We need to give you your wands." Hermione suddenly snapped out of her trance-like state. "Our wands?" Rose asked, bewildered. "But we didn't have time to buy our wands at Ollivander's...," she pointed out. "Oh!" Ron appeared to be somewhat flustered. "Actually...," he began tentatively, then broke off and turned to look at Hermione, a silent question written across his face. She responded with a resolute nod. "We already bought your wands years ago, when you were just babies." Rose was stunned into silence and Hugo looked equally nonplussed.

When she finally recovered from the shock and managed to regain her voice, she said evenly, "You never mentioned this." Her twin brother nodded in agreement, "Whenever we talked about how excited we were about getting our wands this year, you never mentioned the fact that we already had our wands," - Hugo paused for effect - "since we were INFANTS!" Hermione flinched at the acidity in his voice. "There's no need to get all het up about this," she attempted to mollify her children. " We just didn't feel the need to tell you if we weren't going to give them to you until you were older anyways," she justified. "And it was simply more convenient for us to get your wands when you were so young - it eliminated all of the unnecessary fuss!" She continued. She spoke so unwaveringly and in her characteristic rational, matter-of-fact manner, that Rose found it extremely difficult to cast doubt on her words. "Can we get our wands now, then?" She asked, giving up on her doubts and reservations concerning her parents' actions.

Both Rose and Hugo looked imploringly at their parents. "Pleeease...?" "Of course!" Ron laughed good-naturedly. He walked over to the old wooden cabinet standing in the corner of the room. The polished surface of the armoire was arrestingly ornate - embellished with engravings of leaves, autumn berries and birds in flight - so beguiling as to invite the fingers to take it in just as much as the eyes. Rose reached out to brush her fingers against the surface of the cabinet, but her father instantaneously batted her hand away. "Remember what we told you!" He berated her, eyes flashing. "Don't EVER touch the cabinet!" Rose was taken aback - Ron had never been this furious with her. She staggered backwards - "I-I-I'm sorry...I-I-I forgot...I didn't think that..." Indeed, ever since they were old enough to understand, the twins' parents had repeatedly reminded them not to touch the archaic armoire. Rose had always been curious about the rationale behind this request, but nonetheless, she had always obeyed her parents' wishes.

Until now.

Considering that the motivation behind the demand had been divulged, Rose surmised that the ban on touching the cabinet had been lifted, and so she had finally allowed herself to succumb to her temptation to touch the ornate armoire. Clearly she had been mistaken. 

Ron's eyes softened. He smiled almost apologetically. "It's alright," he reassured his daughter. "I should have been clearer," he admitted. He then drew open the intricately carved doors of the cabinet and took out two slender boxes. As Ron handed the twins their wand boxes, Rose couldn't suppress the urge to ask her parents a question - "Why did you keep them in there?" She queried, gesturing at the old armoire. "It's all about trust," Hermione replied cryptically, and then exited the room. "Lunch will be ready in about twenty minutes!" She called out from the kitchen. Rose was left even more discombobulated following Hermione's mystifying response to her question. But sensing that she was stepping into dangerous territory, due to the palpable tension in the air, Rose bit back any further inquiries that she had.

After informing the children that the wand polishing kit was in the top drawer of the small cabinet in the antechamber, Ron left the living room to join Hermione in the kitchen, and to assist her in preparing lunch. Hugo immediately opened his wand box. He wrenched out the wand post-haste, his fingers moving with great speed and immediacy, as if he were in a rush to get somewhere. "Going somewhere?" Rose asked jokingly. Hugo pursed his lips and gave her a reproachful look. "I've been looking forward to this day my entire life! Give a guy a break!" He grouched. "Sorry, sorry!" Rose chuckled, raising her hands in mock defeat. "I understand - so have I!" His anger abating, Hugo proudly showed Rose his wand. "It's made of holly wood, and it has a unicorn hair core!" He disclosed, pointing at the label on the leather-bound box. "Open yours!" Hugo urged his sister. Just as Rose was about to pry open the lid of her own wand box, Hermione called out that lunch was ready. "Coming!" Rose called back in reply, and set down the box on the living room table. 

DISCLAIMER: The entire Harry Potter universe is the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. I make no claim to ownership.