siren and serpent

chapter 4

I slowly opened the door to the shop to see the walls with endless shelves of wands. One of these will be mine.

"Ah.. I was wondering when I'd be seeing you Miss Cascade." The man at the top of the stairs said as he hobbled down. "Garrick Ollivander. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I remember... your mother. I see her in you."

"Must be the hair." I said nervously.

"Indeed." He chuckled. "Oh where are my manners. Welcome to Ollivander's. Makers of fine wands since 382 B.C.... Now, I take it you came in here for your wand?" He asked.

"Yes, of course. What am I supposed to do?" I asked. "Do I have to take a quiz or-"

"Nothing of the sort will be necessary dear. Just stand there, and be silent for a moment." He replied as he slowly climbed the steps, combing the shelves as he went. He stopped suddenly and plucked a box from the shelf he was standing in front of. He carefully pulled the lid off and inspected the wand inside as he walked down the stairs towards me.

"Hm. Cedar wood, very whippy. Just over ten inches long. With a core of.. phoenix tail feather." He said, handing it to me. "Go ahead and give it a wave."

I flicked it towards the lamp he had on the counter in an attempt to turn it off. But the lightbulb exploded.

"Certainly not." He said as he took the wand from my hands. He then levitated the wand back to its original place on the shelf above us. As it landed he disappeared into the dark rows behind the counter. He paused near one shelf for a bit before resuming a sort of stalk around the seemingly endless rows of shelves. He pulled another from one of the shelves and removed the lid.

"Here... we have a wand of holly. Precisely nine inches. With a core of.. oh! dragon heartstring. Try this one." He said, placing it in my palm. This time I tried waving it at a flower pot he had on a platform on the way up the stairs. At first, it rattled. For a second it stopped. But all of a sudden water started pouring out of it. Way more than what could fit into that tiny vase.

"Oh my, uh... I suppose not." He said retrieving the wand from my hands. As well as sending a quick spell towards the vase. Stopping the waterfall that had completely drenched him.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Ollivander." I said, genuinely concerned.

"Not to worry, I've seen worse than you dear." He chuckled. He then paused. His eyes widened. "Maybe. But can I be sure?" he whispered to himself. He quickly rushed back into the abyss of shelving behind his counter. Farther back than he had gone before. After a few minutes, he returned with a box that looked very different from the others. The others were shades of beige and yellow, maybe some red. But this one was metallic blue. As he removed the top off the box, the lining protecting it looked of satin. This definitely was a different wand. I could feel my heart pounding.

"Taxodium ascendens. My father found it while on an excursion in America. A rather rare piece of wood around here. A very flexible wand with a length of thirteen and a half inches. A core of... kelpie hair." He said uneasily.

"Whats a kelpie?" I asked. He remained silent, and just handed it to me. As soon as the beautifully carved piece of wood touched my fingertips, the light in the room became brighter than day, a gust of wind and water came from nowhere and I couldn't see Mr. Ollivander anymore. But I wasn't panicked. I felt, calm. Like I could just sit there forever. Suddenly, I felt myself being gently set onto the floor, as the spiral faded from around me, I could make out Mr. Ollivander holding his wand out towards me. A smile on his face.

"Miss Cascade, that was truly extraordinary. The last time I remember this happening was when I sold your mother her wand. They share the same core. What an extraordinary day this is." He said, rushed.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh nothing." He said back. "Looks like this is your wand dear."

"How much do I owe you?" I asked, reaching for my coin purse from the pocket of my cloak.

"This ones on the house. The wand may choose the wizard, but this wand has known it belonged to you since the day it was made. Back when I was a young boy. I remember when my father had finished wrapping the two up. A smile on his face. This, in your hands, will do extraordinary magic." He said. "Take it. It's yours. And I believe your father is outside, waiting for you." He said pointing out the window.

"Thank you Mr. Ollivander"

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Cascade."