Queen And Her Knights

~ 3. Training, New Wands & A Change ~

Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think.

Valeria cautiously stepped into the enchanting atmosphere of Mystique Wands, where an eclectic blend of scents wafted through the air, mingling with the faint traces of dust. The overwhelming assault on her senses elicited a distasteful reaction, but she maintained a composed facade as she approached the counter and rang the bell.

A man named Thaddeus Miller, with an air of profound mystique, emerged to greet her. "I am Thaddeus Miller; what can I do for you today, My Lady?" he inquired. Valeria, mindful of concealing her true identity, employed the voice disorientation spell to mask her distinctive tone as she responded, "I am Jane Evans. I am here for a Customized Wand and to have the Ministry's trace removed from my old wand. Additionally, I seek to have it modified with the Basilisk fang that I present to you."

Thaddeus was surprised at her request yet graciously acknowledged, "Of course, Ms. Evans. Removing the trace and making the modifications will only take fifteen to twenty minutes, no more than that. Please present the fang and your wand."

Silently, Valeria handed over her wand and the Basilisk fang she had acquired with clandestine finesse, ensuring the invisibility of her actions from the watchful eyes of Dumbledore. Once the modified wand was placed in her possession, she sensed an inexplicable resonance as her magic intertwined harmoniously with the wand. With a subtle flick of her wrist, the impact was immediate as the windows behind the counter were unexpectedly shattered, eliciting astonishment and jubilation from Valeria.

"Ms. Evans, please follow me to the back of the shop where I store all the materials I use for making the wands," Thaddeus invited, leading her through a doorway. The room unfolded into two distinct sections: one side was adorned with tables and shelves bearing jars filled with various substances, and the other featured an impressive variety of wood bars.

"Ms. Evans, I want you to stand on this pedestal and let your magic flow slowly through these cores. When your magic sings to a particular wood, please put it aside, and the same process goes for cores, too," Thaddeus instructed.

Valeria followed his instructions and carefully selected two types of wood and three cores. Thaddeus watched with astonishment and trepidation as she made her choices, knowing that the wand she had crafted would be of extraordinary power, unlike any he had ever created in his career as a Wandmaker.

"Ms. Evans, this is truly remarkable. There are three cores: Unicorn Hair, Sphinx Blood, and a Dementor cloak. This combination is rare and potent, symbolizing life, the dangerous and enigmatic nature of the magical world, and the foreboding presence of death. It suggests that you possess a unique balance of light and darkness, life and death, making you the Gray Witch," Thaddeus replied, recognizing the significance of her choices. He then asked Valeria to go through the same process for selecting the wood, eager to complete the wand destined for her.

Valeria listened intently as Thaddeus, the skilled wandmaker, described the unique properties of the Acacia and Aspen woods that would be used to craft her new wand. She marveled at the prospect of wielding a wand that could rival the power of even the elder wand. Excitedly, she requested two Basilisk Wand holsters, each keyed exclusively to her magical signature and blood to prevent unauthorized summoning. Thaddeus estimated that the wand would be completed in an hour, prompting Valeria to prepare for its arrival.

After eagerly collecting her custom wands and holsters and settling the payment, Valeria returned to her room at the Leaky Cauldron. She intended to rest briefly before her upcoming training session, but her plans were interrupted by the arrival of a letter tied to Hedwig, her trusty owl.