KEEP IT, LOSE IT (HOGWARTS LEGACY FANFICTION)

Chapter Twenty

When Mary, Sebastian, and Ominis arrived at Ollivanders, the little bell above the door jingled softly, announcing their presence. Gerbold Ollivander was already waiting near the counter, his sharp eyes lighting up as he recognized Mary. His gaze shifted briefly to Sebastian and Ominis, and a look of pleasant surprise crossed his features.

"Ah, young Mr. Sallow and Mr. Gaunt," Ollivander greeted warmly, his voice tinged with nostalgia. "It's good to see you both again. I remember the day you each found your first wands. Quite memorable occasions, if I recall correctly."

Sebastian grinned. "Mine was the ebony wood wand, wasn't it? With the dragon heartstring core?"

"Indeed," Ollivander said with a proud nod. "It took a bit of coaxing, but once it chose you, it was clear you two were well-matched. And yours, Mr. Gaunt... quite a unique pairing as well."

Ominis smiled faintly, his fingers brushing over the wand at his side. "It was. I could feel it, even before I knew for certain."

Ollivander chuckled softly, his eyes gleaming with fondness for the memories. But then he turned his attention back to Mary, his expression growing slightly more serious. "Good of you to come, Miss Aetheris Lumina! My friend Professor Fig speaks highly of you... and your resourcefulness."

Mary smiled, inclining her head respectfully. "Thank you, sir. It's an honor."

Ollivander continued, his voice lowering slightly as he spoke. "He was vague about the details, but he did mention your tracking down a difficult-to-find book."

While Mary listened intently, Sebastian and Ominis were inspecting the various wands on display. Sebastian, never one to miss an opportunity for mischief, began opening boxes and peeking inside. Ominis quickly scolded him, but Sebastian just grinned, pulling out a wand and waving it around experimentally. A shower of bright sparks erupted from its tip, making Ominis jump back with a start. Not one to let it slide, Ominis grabbed a nearby wand and sent a burst of sparks back at Sebastian, the two of them laughing as they playfully dueled with random wands.

Ollivander glanced briefly at the small chaos behind him but didn't seem overly concerned. Instead, he focused on Mary. "I wonder if you'd be willing to do a little detective work on my behalf?" he asked, his tone both curious and hopeful.

Mary couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of her friends but quickly returned her attention to Ollivander. "Of course, Mr. Ollivander. What do you need me to do?"

"Ah, excellent," Ollivander said, a smile spreading across his face. "It's nothing too daunting, I assure you. I'll explain more in a moment."

Meanwhile, Sebastian had just narrowly dodged another set of sparks from Ominis and was now laughing uncontrollably.

Mr. Ollivander took a deep breath before beginning his tale, his voice steady and thoughtful. "You see, about a century ago, an heirloom Applewood wand with a fairy wing core went missing from this very shop," he started.

At the mention of a lost wand, Sebastian and Ominis immediately stopped their playful duel, setting the wands back into their boxes and turning their attention to Ollivander. They edged closer, curious about the story.

"My great-aunt suspected a student named Richard Jackdaw," Ollivander continued, his tone laced with the weight of old mysteries. "He'd been serving as an assistant here and suddenly vanished."

Mary furrowed her brow, the name unfamiliar to her. "Richard Jackdaw?" she repeated quietly to herself, trying to recall if she had ever heard of him before, but nothing came to mind.

"Like the bird," Ollivander added, a faint smile touching his lips. "In fact, he was known to frequent the Hogwarts Owlery. We searched there, of course, but found nothing."

The mention of the Owlery piqued Mary's interest, as she had spent many hours there herself. Ollivander's story began to weave a picture in her mind, making her wonder what connections she might uncover.

"We did find a series of statues resembling Jackdaws." Ollivander said, his voice tinged with frustration. "I'm certain they're a clue, but I cannot figure out where they lead."

Sebastian exchanged a glance with Ominis, their interest growing as the mystery deepened. The mention of statues hinted at an intriguing puzzle, one that both boys were eager to unravel.

"Jackdaw was last heard muttering about some pages with a map he stole from Peeves," Ollivander continued, a note of irritation creeping into his voice. "As you can imagine, the poltergeist was less than helpful."

Sebastian couldn't hold back a scowl at the mention of Peeves. "That troublesome ghost is more of a menace than anything else," he grumbled, recalling his many frustrating encounters with the poltergeist. "Always meddling and causing chaos. No wonder he's involved in this."

Ominis nodded in agreement, though he remained more focused on the clues Ollivander had provided. 

Mary nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the details of the mystery surrounding Richard Jackdaw and the missing heirloom wand. After a moment, she looked back at Ollivander and said, "I'll certainly look into it, Mr. Ollivander, but I can't make any promises."

Ollivander's eyes gleamed with appreciation, his smile warm and sincere. "Of course, my dear, no promises needed. Just knowing you'll investigate is more than enough. With a mind as brilliant as yours, I have no doubt you'll make progress where others have not."

Sebastian grinned, still excited by the prospect of the adventure ahead. "Looks like we've got some detective work to do, then."

***

i have changed some elements of the story, mainly cause the mission with richard jackdew is one of my favourites, i love that character! so i wanted them to meet each other. 

Let's remember that this is fantasy, and in the end, the main plot is what happens between these three along the way.