Wizarding World Wonders - Short Stories

1. Olivander's First Apprentice

My heart hammered as I opened the door and imagined the day when I would have a world-renowned shop like this of my own. I would dress it up with a shiny sign outside, maybe bewitched to glow for an added flair. I'd have several exceptional works of art on a window display, instead of the same wand that's sat on a faded pillow for decades.

"Mr. Olivander?"

I tsk-ed at the disorder inside. How could this old wandmaker find anything in this mess? In my shop, the boxes would be neatly arranged and color-coded. And I would most definitely greet store patrons as soon as they walked in.

Since the old wizard was nowhere in sight, I stepped behind the counter. It was time that I got comfortable there.

And I thought that the front was a mess. Here, the boxes were spilled out of the shelves, many wands littered the dusty floorboards as if a miniature tornado passed through.

"Mr. Olivander? Are you all right?"

"No need to make a ruckus."

I jumped at hearing him behind me and clutched at my chest. "G-g-good Morning."

His pale eyes narrowed at me, and his frizzy white hair danced as he nodded. "You've come for a proper wand."

He started touching the narrow boxes on the shelves, having to look very close to read the tiny labels. He was surely becoming forgetful in his old age.

"No, Mr. Olivander. I'm Emily Pineshine, your new apprentice, remember? You agreed to teach me wandcraft."

He ignored my correction and stepped around the messy pile until a box on the lower shelf sparked his interest.

"Aha!" he pulled it out with care and blew the dust off.

I coughed. "Mr. Olivander, I don't need a new wand."

"I've seen what you carry. Kiddel's, is it not?"

He stood there, unblinking, holding the box out for me, his gray eyebrows raised in challenge. I supposed he couldn't have an apprentice that used a wand made elsewhere, so I accepted the gift.

"Your first task," my heart hammered. I couldn't wait to hear what he would teach me first, "shall be putting this room in order. My last customer had gone through several wands before settling on mahogany, twelve inches exact. It took me by surprise."

"How will I know which wand goes in which box?"

His wrinkles pulled up into a wicked smile. "How will you create a wand if you can't even tell that the one you're using is inferior? You need to learn how to tell wands apart, Ms. Pineshine. I can't teach you anything until you grasp that elementary craft."

He gestured at the chaos in front of me. "Good luck. I sure hope you pass this test."

I got on my knees to face this challenge, the dream of Pineshine Wandmakers shop pushing me forward. I would pass this test and become the first apprentice Olivander ever trained. There was a new wandmaker in town.