Lucy Jones 1: The beginning of a tale (HP fanfiction)

6 Ollivanders

Lucy keeps thanking Hagrid for the owl he got her. She has an Eagle owl, while Harry got a snowy owl called Hedwig.

'And what are you going to call it?' Hagrid asks.

'Archimedes.' Lucy says and scratches her owl under its chin. She suspects that Harry is afraid of her owl. She likes Archimedes.

A little further, they stop. Hagrid stays outside with the owls, and Harry and Lucy walk into the shop.

The shop's display consists of a solitary wand lying on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. The shop is tiny and empty, except for a single, spinny chair in the corner. Thousands of narrow boxes containing wands were piled right up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust.

Ollivanders, that's what Hagrid said. Lucy keeps looking around; she almost jumps when she hears a voice: 'Are you both here for your first wand?'

'Yes.' She speaks. Harry nods, impressed with everything around him. This is a magic shop.

'Let's take it one by one. And I'll start with you, boy.' He says, looking from Harry to one of the walls filled with wands. How would he find what he needs? Is there a system to get the wand they need?

'I'm Harry, sir.'

'Yes, Harry Potter. I was expecting you.' Mr Olivander says: 'You have the same eyes as your mother. I remember when she came to buy her first wand.' He walks around the counter:' Willow and swishy, your father; he chose mahogany and flexible wand. I say he chose, but the wand chooses the wizard. It is not the other way around.'

He looks at Harry: 'The wand chooses the wizard. That much has always been clear to those of us who have studied wandlore. These connections are complex. An initial attraction, and then a mutual quest for experience, the wand learning from the wizard, the wizard from the wand.' He talks while he thinks. He measures Harry's arm in a few ways. First, from his wrist to his shoulder, shoulder to the floor and other things. Harry tries a few options until one works, holly and a phoenix feather.'

'Curious...very curious...' Mr Olivander says.

Harry stops smiling: 'Sorry, but what's curious?'

'I remember every single wand I've ever sold, Mr Potter. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar.'

Silence fills the room. Lucy looks at Harry. She knows he has a scar because they laughed at it at school, but she didn't think much of it.

'Your turn.' Mr Olivander does the exact measuring he did with Harry. 'Let's start with this one.' He says, and she touches the wand. It feels strange; tiny sparks appear.

'That's not it.' He takes the wand and gives her another one.

This one feels dark, but it gets taken away again before something happens. Replaced by another: 'Maybe...'

She holds the wand and feels more decisive and confident. She smiles, knowing this is it.

'Ash and dragon heartstring....' Mr Olivander whispers: 'Inflexible and 9 and ¾ inches.'