Of Shadow And Sky

Pointy Sticks with Pretty Designs

Their first day of magical cram school consisted of reading, reading, and trying not to blow up a cauldron. Well, Nico, Thalia, and Alex were trying not to blow up their cauldrons. Percy seemed to have an affinity for potionmaking, which Lou attributed to his affinity with water. Nico's looked like it was about five seconds from shattering the cauldron, Thalia's had coagulated into a rock hard block, and Alex's had turned an acid green color. Lou sent them off as she worked on getting Thalia's concoction out of the bottom of the cauldron. 

The next day they met at Thalia's tree so that they could go to England for their wands, of course nobody told them how they were getting there. Alex had the suspicion that they weren't being told because nobody would like it, and her suspicions were confirmed when Lou brought over an old tin can. 

"Um...Lou? What's with the can?"

Lou smiled vaguely. "It's a portkey. A transportation item wizards use when they can't apparate or use Floo powder. Each of you put a finger on it. Hurry, it leaves in two minutes."

Thalia yawned as she put a finger on the can, and the other three followed suit. Lou smiled again, but there was something about the glint of amusement in her eyes that set Alex on edge. Her suspicions were confirmed again when they were all suddenly yanked into the air by invisible fishing hooks.

"I DON'T LIKE THIS!"

Percy and Nico looked like they were ready to vomit, and Alex was rather surprised Zeus didn't try to kill them. After what felt like forever, they landed in a not so graceful heap in front of an old building. Alex squinted at it, frowning as she read: Varloelidn's. That couldn't be right. She refused to believe that was the shop name.

"It says Ollivander's," Lou chuckled. "That is where you'll be getting your wands. Just remember what I told you yesterday. Okay?"

Alex frowned. What had she said? She shook her head. Of course. They were getting new wands because theirs broke in a bizarre accident at school. What was the school name again, Alex sighed inwardly. Illvermorny, and she was supposedly in the Horned Serpent house. What a weird name.

"Hey, Alex," Nico waved a hand in her face. "Are you coming?"

"Huh? O-oh! Yeah! I'm coming!" 

She followed them into the store, but she couldn't shake the strange feeling she had. Ollivander's. That name sounded weird, and yet not, as if she'd heard it before. She was so lost in thought that she walked right into Percy.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

He waved it off with a smile, but she felt her face turn red anyway. What a great impression she was making, and the quest hadn't even started yet! Thalia must have read her mind because she just smiled.

"Don't worry. Kelp Head here usually messes something up."

"Hey!"

"Ah...here for wands, yes," a soft voice drifted toward them from behind the counter. "Certainly not new students. Broken wands?"

Alex squeaked in surprise, and felt her face grow red again. Lou just smiled blandly. "They tried to duel and the combination of spells destroyed their wands."

"I see," the man murmured. "Well, ladies first."

"Age before beauty." The words had left Alex's mouth before she had a chance to stop them, and she went an odd combination of pale and red. She'd just insulted Thalia. Daughter of Zeus. She was so dead.

Thalia just stared, mouth hanging open while Percy and Nico fell over each other laughing. Lou had put her hand over her mouth and turned away. Alex just prayed to every god and goddess that Thalia wouldn't kill her.

"Did she just...."

Percy howled with laughter. "She did! That was hilarious, Alex!"

Thalia glared at Percy and Nico. "If you two idiots don't stop laughing I will zap you both into next year!"

Lou coughed pointedly. "Would you four please return to the issue at hand?"

Thalia gave Alex a wicked grin and shoved her forward. "You first, Ally!"

She squeaked again and moved to the front, finally able to see Mr. Ollivander. He looked...ancient. His eyes were pale, which was kind of creepy, and it looked as if one strong gale could break him. Ollivander smiled but turned to Percy instead.

"Let's start with you, young man. Which is your wand arm?"

Alex held back a giggle as a tape measure began to measure the distance between his ears. Ollivander had wandered into the back of the store only to reappear with a thin box.

"Ash wood with unicorn tail hair, twelve and one quarter inches, slightly springy."

Percy took the wand and stared at it blankly until Ollivander told him to wave it. Perhaps that wasn't the best idea, because the store was soon flooded by sea water. Ollivander hastily banished it and swiped the wand out of his hand, replacing it with another.

"No...no. Try this. Aspen, unicorn hair, 10 and a half inches, quite springy."

That couldn't have been it, Alex mused as every box flew off the shelves. Percy had to have tried thirty wands before Ollivander found the right one.

"Cedar and unicorn hair, twelve and three quarter inches, slightly springy. Must be very loyal."

It wasn't said out loud, but the other demigods had the same thought: you have no idea....

Next was Nico, and after the sea water issue, everyone was kind of worried. None of them wanted skeletons to sprout out of the floor, or for the shadows to grow unnaturally long. Thankfully, the worst that happened was Thalia being pinned to the ceiling and the windows being blown out. The wand he finally had was ebony with phoenix feather.

Thalia's was the most entertaining of the three...And the most dangerous. The first wand had everyone ducking for cover as electricity crackled around the store. After turning Percy into an owl, turning Nico's hair baby pink, and almost throwing Alex into the store across the alley, she was paired with a pine and dragon heartstring wand.

"So your wand is a pine wand, Thalia" Nico asked innocently.

"Shut. Up."

Finally, Alex stepped up, nervous. Ollivander seemed to regard her for a moment before wandering to the back, murmuring. He returned moments later with a few boxes.

"The wand chooses the witch, Miss Alexandra. Try this one. Aspen, unicorn tail, quite rigid."

She took it, waved it, then yelped as it flew out of her hand and toward Percy's eye. Thankfully, he was quick enough to duck before he needed an eye patch. Annabeth would have killed her for that.

"No not that one. Here. Cherry, phoenix feather, springy."

Nico had to avoid the angry birds that had been conjured and flew at his head. The wand was plucked from her hand and replaced with another. It took almost an hour before he returned with a particularly dusty box and a peculiar look on his face.

"I never expected this wand to be sold. I made it specifically for someone years ago. Cypress, phoenix feather, slightly springy, twelve inches."

He handed her the wand, and for a moment she was distracted by the design. Elegant lines twisted along it forming delicate designs at the handle. She didn't even notice the soft breeze and warm light that swept through the store the moment she took it.

"Oh well done! Yes, that wand will do well with you, my dear. Take care of it."

"I-I will."

Lou paid for their things, and they all trooped out so that they could go home. Percy and Nico refused to travel by portkey until Lou threatened to turn them into toads. Alex was still looking down at her wand, curious as to why Ollivander had never given the wand to the person he had made it for. Had they died? He had stared at her for a minute before he had gone to get it. Yet again, she was so lost in thought that she hadn't even noticed when they'd landed.

"Okay, practice the levitating charm for tomorrow...not on each other. Use a rock."

Alex vaguely mused that using a rock was as dangerous as practicing on each other.