For Valour- A Sirius Black Fanfic

The Scarlet Train

The morning of departure had started with nothing but hustle and bustle. After our trip from Diagon Alley no one other than Molly had bothered to pack there trucks. We were all tired and paid no heed to Mr. and Mrs. Prewett's or Molly's advise for that matter to pack our trunks a day prior which only resulted in breaking all hell loose at The Prewett Abode the very next day. Like they say when you need something you never find it, well there could have been no better day for us to realise that the saying was absolutely true. The entire house was in a huge chaos. Things were being found at all sort of weird places. By the time we were done packing there were only fifteen minutes left for the scarlet train's departure from King cross's station. We were left with no option but to apparate to King cross and well let's say the last experience of apparition was as fresh as a wound. There were few protests but in the end Mrs. Prewett shrieked and said that we had no other option and that we were only wasting our time further.

We soon apparated to an abandoned alley near the station and rushed towards platform 9 3/4 through the magical brick wall between platform 9 and 10. The entire platform was filled with students, there families bidding them goodbye, some were wailing while some stood as stiff as a stone not showing a speck of emotion. We bid farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Prewett, after being engulfed by Mrs. Prewett into a bone crushing hug and rushed towards the scarlet train which stood on the platform mightily. This was it, the beginning of something new, something better and adventurous. I held my wand tightly in my hand and aboard The Hogwarts Express. The aura inside the scarlet train reminded me of my conversation with Mr. Ollivander.

Diagon Alley had been unusually busy which was quite obvious seeing that Hogwarts would be starting the very next day. And with so much of supplies to be purchased we truly had little time. While Molly and Mrs. Prewett had completely disagreed with my idea of heading to Ollivanders alone because they believed that since choosing wand was once a life time opportunity(unless broken) which meant family had to be present for providing support and encouragement and I knew I couldn't have agreed more and would have loved for them to accompany me, the truth was we truly were running out of time and no one knew how much time it could take for me at the shop. Hence finally we came to an agreement that I would head to the shop alone and Alex, Fabian and Gideon would finish their as well as my supply shopping. I headed toward the shop fidgeting with my fingers and with every step I took I dreaded my own idea, cursing myself for coming up with it in the first place. I took a deep breath and entered the shop, the bell giving an indication to the shop owner of someone's arrival. I stood nearby the desk taking in the surrounding and was astonished by the amount of wands present waiting for there true owner to be presented to them. I waited patiently for a few minutes when Mr. Ollivanders finally showed up from somewhere inside.

"Ah, here for a wand I see. I was wondering when you would come since the last time you accompanied your brother." Mr. Ollivander spoke as he took some measurement and disappeared once again somewhere inside the shop. He returned back with few boxes in his hand.

After spending an hour at the shop, Mr. Ollivander was still unable to find a suitable wand and i was patting my back mentally for making a truly wise decision of coming to the shop alone. I was not only utterly embarassed but also worried that i would never find a suitable wand.

"Mr. Ollivander is something wrong with me? Am i not a true witch?" I questioned my doubt to which Mr. Ollivander smiled warmly.

"No dear, no need to worry. You aren't the first one and certainly not the last. Many witches and wizards have spent days finding their true wand." I huffed at his response and waited impatiently as he contemplated the situation in order to find a suitable wand for me.

"Hmph, why didn't i think of this before?" He spoke more to himself than me and again ventured somewhere deep inside the shop. This time he returned back with just one box in his hand and a look of certainity on his face as though he had finally cracked a mystery.