Chapter 11: Ollivander's Dream

Entering Ollivanders was like a dream come true. Everything was perfect, just like in the movies. Brimming with the knowledge that here was where I would find my own special wand I looked in amazement around the store. Shelves held row upon row of stacked boxes. Every visible wall was covered in them. There were library ladders that connected to the walls. Sitting on wheels they reached from the floor to the ceiling. A lone counter stood in the middle empty of anything besides a lamp and a few wands sparsely laid on the desk. Standing behind it was the namesake of the store. Wonder filled my eyes as I walked up to him. "Severus Snape." cut through my daydream. Jumping despite knowing full well he was standing next to me. I missed what Ollivander said about Snape's wand. Only catching the end "A rare person to find escorting students. I don't seem to recognize this young lady. And who might you be?" Trying to hide my snickering at his commentary I tried to focus my eyes in the dimly lit room.

Finally picking out Ollivander's face from the shadows I saw a John Hurt look-alike. That took me aback more than anything else."I'm Alise Parker." My shyness was back in full force with Ollivander. "A pleasure to meet you. If you could please raise your wand arm for me I can start measuring." Unconsciously I stuck my right arm out as he had asked. Pulling out a measuring cord from the desk it started moving on its own. Ollivander continued to talk noting down each individual measurement in his book. As he did so Snape stepped back and waited in the dark corner across from me.

Startling me, Ollivander forced a wand into my hand. He was apparently done with taking measurements. Instructing me on what to do I waved the wand. Apparently, the wrong way because Ollivander snatched it out of my hand. Couldn't blame him since each try made more of a mess in his shop. Wands flew off the shelves. His lamp threw off flames. Even his ladder seemed to buckle for a moment. One set off sparks into the back rooms and an irate scream sounded. It must have come from Ollivander's peacock. Snape's movements now seemed to make sense. He was avoiding the line of fire. A growing stack of rejected wands filled the desk. Each meeting much the same fate. One after another was gently placed in my hand only to be snatched quickly back.

Wand after wand was tried and still, none of them felt right. Some weren't too bad but others felt plain wrong. I had tried nearly every wand in front of me when Ollivander handed me one that he had purchased off another maker. I felt like he was hoping the oddness would work. It was made of yew wood with Veela hair core. With Veela at its core, it must have just barely passed muster for him. Either that or we were nearing the end of his selections. It was such a bad match it catapulted itself out of my hands. Far enough away that it landed at Snape's feet. Coming closer to him, I could feel the agitation rolling off of him. For him, I was taking far too long to find a proper wand. Ollivander's cheerful smile at the difficulty of this task seemed to be equally as strong as Snape's scowl and disdain at it. Soon his glare produced daggers. As if I was doing this on purpose.

Making his hair neon pink seemed like less and less of a bad idea. Being handed the next wand I swished it and could feel the immediate connection. It felt like I was being bathed in warm water. Gently washing all the bad things away. Staring down at the pink and gold-hued wand in my hand. Grinning, I knew that it would be with me for the long haul. My cheer was broken by an angry bellow "What have you done!". Looking up from my new wand I saw pink. Severus Snape's hair was now bright bubblegum pink. It wasn't neon but this was so much better.

Holding in a nervous giggle I felt my panic rising. How much trouble could I possibly get into before starting school? There's got to be some kind of limit. Though this was Snape, and he was famous for holding grudges. I guess Potions class would suck for the next seven years. Quickly as I could I tried to fix his hair. Waving my wand I tried to it changing back but that only accomplished making it cleaner. My second try hit gold. It was back to black. The only evidence that anything happened was the fact it was clean. Gazing at his new locks I thought that it looked better clean. Forcibly pulled out of my thoughts by Snape storming past and the crash of the door. I watched through the window as seconds later he snapped right out of sight. He had apparated and was gone.

Turning the door I looked back to Ollivander. Seeing the smile that dominated his whole I knew he wasn't going to get mad at me for the accident. In fact, he looked like he was about to ascend to heaven. " Let me tell you about this wand," he said before signaling me to come closer. "This wand is a very special one. It was an experiment of mine. It was the one that actually worked out. Unlike so many others. It's made of a North American beechwood. Its color is often described as having pink tones and when it is varnished and polished it has a golden glow. It is a very unusual wand in that respect. Since it stands out in its coloring. Many others being shades of brown or pale white in color. A true personality match for this type of wood is those individuals wise beyond their years. Open to new experiences and ideas, a bit flexible when it comes to making choices. It performs poorly with the narrow-minded and intolerant. An unusual wood to say the least but not what made this an experiment I am proud of. My experimentation was on the core itself. One night I found myself wanting to tinker with the amount and number of core pieces. A dream inspired me with the knowledge that I knew I would succeed if it was this wand. I don't know what drew me to this conclusion but I found myself making it. I believe it to be the only wand in existence with three core materials. I've tried duplicating the results but this is the only functional one." He let out a small chuckle. His eyes gleaming with fondness at the wand.

Obvious was the love and attention that Ollivander gave to each one he made and sold. Otherwise, he would not remember every single one. He motioned me to hand the wand back to him. As I did so he started talking. "A contradiction is contained here." The twinkle in his eyes was self-evident. His tone was of a grandfather happily imparting knowledge to the next generation about their fondest memories. "This wand contains Unicorn hair, Dragon heartstring, and a single Phoenix feather. An incompatible bunch but still it works. You see wands with unicorn hair are the most faithful. Usually staying very attached to their first owners. It is incredibly difficult to turn one such as pure as this to the dark arts. Unicorns themselves abhor impurity and value innocence above all. That is the first chosen for this." His hand smoothed over the wand.

Caressing it gently and turning it over he continued to speak. A chuckle warmed his voice."Dragons, on the other hand, wish for power. As a rule, dragon heartstring wands produce wands capable of the strongest spells and being very flamboyant in their displays. Of the three I cores I work with they are the most prone to accidents. As they are a temperamental lot. They seek power out power and aren't fond of wavering. The last and rarest ingredient in the core is the Phoenix feather. They are capable of the most astounding range of magic. Though they may take the longest to mature. Phoenix wands are known to act of their own accord. Making it an unpopular choice for certain witches and wizards. Pickiest of any core when it comes to potential owners. They can be the hardest to tame. Personalize these wands and getting their allegiance is usually difficult to nigh impossible. The reason being its source. They say Phoenixes are the most and independent and detached creatures in the world." He had a faraway look in his eyes as he imparted this to me.

Equal parts joy and sorrow. Ollivander seemed reluctant to part and at the same time hopeful for the separation to come. Gingerly he placed the wand in its box and moved it towards me. He averted his eyes and I realized it was time to pay. Lost in his speech I didn't hear the numbers he spoke. I placed probably more than was needed down on the counter. His head was lost in the clouds, probably imagining the probabilities this wand could make true. Saying my goodbyes I slipped quietly out the door into the day his words ringing in my head.