-.-.-Chapter 19-.-.-

Our group entered Olivanders wand shop after traversing the alley once more. I’d like to think I had prepared myself, knowing of Olivanders tendencies for jump scares, but I still gave a startled yelp when the man appeared directly behind me making me spin around fist flying in a back hand punch.

Only for the wand crafter to catch my fist with surprising ease that made me blink, I’d only ever seen my instructor’s master move with that kind of speed during their demonstration matches for the class.

“My apologies if I startled you young man,” Olivander said with an amused tone that said he wasn’t really sorry at all, as he let go of my hand and took a step back.

I, at least, wasn’t alone in my shock as everyone else had jumped when he suddenly appeared.

“Now then, two wands I believe, who will go first?” Olivander asked with an excited smile as he moved to behind the counter.

I looked at Hermione, “ladies first~” I said in a playful tone and gestured for her to go first.

Hermione swallowed and nodded before stepping forward.

“Which is your wand hand my dear?” Olivander asked with a wide smile.

“I’m right handed,” Hermione answered.

Olivander nodded and tapped his vest pocket with his wand and a long measuring tape came flying out and over to Hermione and began to measure her right hand, and then her forearm before moving on to measure further things as Olivander began to bustle around his shelves like a child in a candy store.

As he searched he began to give his speech about how every Olivander wand was unique, how every wand contained a core of either unicorn tail hair, dragon heartstring or Pheonix feather.

At this point the tape measure had moved from measuring Hermione's arm and had floated up to begin measuring her face, but she smacked it away with a huff when it went to measure her nostrils.

“Of course the wood of a wand can tell you a lot about the witch or wizard that it chooses to wield it,” Olivander remarked.

“The wand chooses?” Wendell remarked with a frown.

“Why yes,” Olivander said as he finally plucked a wand box from the shelves seemingly at random, “the wand chooses the witch or wizard who best matches it, it’s not always clear why that is though” he said as he bustled back over to Hermione and offered her the open wand box, “go ahead my dear. Yew, dragon heartstring, eleven inches, rather supple.”

Hermione reached into the box and took up the wand and gave it a wave on Olivanders instruction only for it to shoot out of her hand and start bouncing around the room.

I hastily ducked as it shot past my head and hit the door behind me and bounced back only for Olivander to catch it once more in its box and close it.

“Not that one then,” Olivander remarked, still smiling happily.

Hermione however frowned and looked down at it not being her wand.

“Don’t be disheartened dear girl, we’ll find you your wand yet, we still have a few more to try and see how they react to find your match” Olivander encouraged her as he went back to put the wand box back and fetch another.

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The next half an hour that passed was rather interesting, as Hermione tried wand after wand with various reactions and sometimes none at all, when Olivander snatched the wand back as soon as Hermione picked it up, muttering to himself and shaking his head as he went to get another.

But finally I knew it was over when I heard Olivander say, “vine and dragon heartstring, ten and three quarter inches, rather swishy”

When Hermione took up her wand she immediately took a sharp breath as she held it up and brought it down as blue and silver sparks came out of its end as Olivander clapped his hands together in excitement.

“That’s the one for you my dear, very good, very good indeed” Olivander said as he closed the wand box up.

“Vine is a particularly curious wood to work with, it nearly always chooses those witches or wizards who seek a greater purpose, who have a vision beyond the ordinary and who frequently astound those who thought they knew them best, yes this is certainly the wand for you young lady” Olivander explained as Hermione looked at both her parents with excitement before turning back to Olivander with a smile.

“Thank you Mr Olivander, I promise I’ll take good care of it,” Hermione said as she clutched her wand close to her chest.

Olivanded nodded before his gaze settled on me. “Now for you my young lad, which is your wand hand?” He asked, excitement glimmering in his silver eyes.

“My right handed too,” I said as I held my right hand out and played along as the tape measure shot over to me and began measuring me, though I grabbed it and threw it away when it began measuring more than just my arm.

Olivander had immediately moved to start picking out wands for me to try, he clearly loved this part of his job and after a few minutes came back with a few boxes and laid them out on the counter and gestured to them, “try these my lad, see how they feel,”

I nodded and stepped up taking up the first, “Holly and unicorn tail hair, ten inches, ridgid,” Olivander said as I held the wand in my hand.

It felt rather cold in my hand, I certainly didn’t feel anything from it. I gave it a wave and frowned when nothing happened.

“Hmmm, most curious, not often a wand doesn't respond to a wizard, even if it’s a poor match,” Olivander mused, “try the next one lad.”

I nodded and returned the wand to its box before taking up the next, and blink as it felt different in my hand, I could feel something from this one at least.

“Ash wood with a dragon heartstring core, eleven inches, firm,” Olivander intoned as I waved the wand only for several stacks of his wands to fall over in a heap, “Not that one either my lad, but a step in the right direction I think.”

I nodded and placed it back before going to pick up the next only to yelp and draw my hand back as it felt like the wood of the next wand burned me, only when I checked my hand it was fine.

“I see, I see,” Olivander said as he quickly closed each box up, “one moment,” he said as he picked them up and rushed off back into the stacks and shelves of wands.

I rubbed my hands, still feeling the tingling sensation from the last wand fade away as I waited for him to come back holding a single wand box this time.

“Let’s try this one shall we,” Olivander said as he opened the wand box and took the wand out by its thin end and offered the handle to me.

It was a dark wood wand, with a ridged handle, straightly cut, tapered off to a narrow end at one point and rounded at the handle end.

I grasped the handle offered and immediately my eyes widened as I felt it, a warm sensation rushing down my hand from the wand and flooding my body with energy as I took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly as I could only stare in awe at the wand I held, this was my wand alright.

“Oh excellent, most excellent,” Olivander cheered as he clapped his hand again, “another perfect match” he smiled, “Rowan wood, with a dragon heartstring from a particularly old Ukrainian Iron belly, twelve and three quarter inches, and absolutely unyielding. Rowan wood wands often find themselves in the hands of those with a clear-head and the pure-heart, though don’t let it’s reputation for virtue fool you, Rowan wands are some of the most powerful wands in circulation, especially when paired with dragon heartstring cores, that’s a powerful duelists wand, I believe we can expect great things from you my boy.”

I grinned hearing that, ‘oh just wait, the next time I go in to face those Skeevers I’m going loaded for bear, it will be beautiful~’

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Chapter word count: 1400