Escaping Darkness || Theodore Nott

5

"Go on in," Narcissa said as she nudged Pandora and Draco into the wand shop.

They went into the small space, looking around. The room was very small and dusty, and there were stacks of small rectangular boxes stacked along the walls. Presumably wands.

Pandora thought it looked rather shabby.

"Hello," a soft voice said. The four spun around to see a old man standing behind the counter.

"I was expecting you," he said. He had large, silvery eyes. Pandora guessed he must be Ollivander.

When they made eye contact, Pandora saw an image of her Father being resurrected by her.

"Don't you get all the Hogwarts students? Why wouldn't you expect 11-year-olds?" Pandora asked somewhat aggressively. She was tired of everyone acting like they knew her and yet expecting only hatred from her.

Ollivander nodded. "Yes, many students come by here, but I was especially excited to find out what your wand would be. If I should even sell you one."

Pandora frowned. "Why wouldn't you sell me a wand?"

Lucius looked at her warningly, but she was too annoyed to care.

"The last wand I sold to a Riddle caused so much pain and suffering in the world, I'm not sure I want to repeat that. Then again, I suppose I should sell you a wand, because your father became so powerful. You have so much potential. Maybe if you were to sway to the good side..."

Pandora huffed. Her father had bought his wand here? From this man? It seemed so... beneath him. Maybe it used to be nicer. At least I know the wands are good, she thought.

"Let's get this over with, and let me do the talking," Lucius whispered to her.

"Can we at least try the wands?" he asked Ollivander.

"Yes, yes. I suppose so. Every wizard needs a wand."

He then took two tape measures out of his desk and gave them to Pandora and Draco. The tape measures seemed to spring to life and started measuring the cousins; elbow to wrist, wrist to shoulder, armpit to knee, and so on.

Meanwhile, the old man went to one of the piles of wands and took out two boxes. Then he went back to the group. Narcissa had sat down on an old chair and Lucius was resting against a wall.

He gave each of the children a wand.

"Ladies first," he said, instructing them to hold the wands loosely and wave them around.

Pandora did as she was told, but the old wizard almost immediately took the wand out of her hand.

"No, no. That one's too thin. No, that won't do," he murmured to himself.

Then Draco waved his, but Ollivander shook his head at that one too.

Then, without saying anything,  he went back to the piles, picked out two more wands, and had them try them. Again, he stopped them both mid-wave. So Ollivander went back again and had them try new wands.

This process repeated a couple more times, and each time the wandmaker mumbled something to himself and shook his head.

"You two are difficult, aren't you. Very picky. Although it is true that the wand chooses the wizard."

Ollivander shuffled back to them, handing each of them another wand. When Draco waved his, Pandora expected the old man to take it from him again, but something else entirely happened. Green sparks flew out of it, dispersing over their heads and falling like raindrops. The wandmaker cried out.