As always, the Folwells’ visit to Diagon Alley proved a hectic affair. Claude was trying to pull them towards Perchance a Page - not for the sake of textbooks, which they’d already purchased - but to take another look at the unusual selection of books covering magical plants in England. Meanwhile Vinnie’s mother had refused to let Henry set off on his own down Knockturn Alley, and Dora was complaining loudly about how lucky Vinnie was to go to Hogwarts this year. She’d talked of little else for weeks.
“Your wand,” Vinnie’s father broke in suddenly, looking harried. They still had robes and cauldrons to purchase, and not much time before Vinnie’s mother was needed to take pictures for an interview.
Vinnie’s mother glanced over her shoulder at the worn sign of Elder & Ash. “Go on, dear,” she told Vinnie. “We’ll meet you by Blackwood and Sons when you’re done.”
Breaking off from the rest of his family, Vinnie sprinted back towards the shop. He couldn’t help but grin. It felt like he’d been waiting forever to learn real magic. In a few minutes, he would have his very own wand to do it with.
When Vinnie pushed open the heavy front door, the air of the shop seemed to envelop him. The scent of wood and smoke and polish hung heavy in the air, and Vinnie could almost feel the magic all around him. He stared up at rows upon rows of wand boxes with wide eyes, wondering which would be his.
“Hello?” Vinnie called out into the shop. He practically bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited, puffing out his chest proudly in a way that looked slightly ridiculous in his tiny eleven year-old body. “I’m here for a wand.”
LINK to Application: HERE
Pick a Creature:
Dragon
What type of magic appeals to you:
Potions & Transfiguration
Most Proud of trait:
Confidence
Which subject would you do best in
Defense Against the Dark Arts
How would you describe yourself: (pick as many as you want)
Adaptable
Light-Hearted
Courageous
Loyal
Strong Willed
After Hogwarts, what would you like to do:
Fight against the Dark
What are you afraid of:
Being alone
“Good day to you! Welcome to Elder and Ash, I am Bernadette…Hmm… Or Bernie or Miss Hawthorn or Witchy McWitchface,” she titters with laughter, high and squeaky. “Don’t you fret, I will answer to just about anything… Except Clyde.” She shakes her head emphatically. “HE is a bowtruckle and can be quite persnickety, so watch your eyeballs, he likes to poke.” She nods at the young student, as if what she said was the most important piece of knowledge to take away from this conversation.
“Can I assume you are here to find your wand? Yes!? Of course! Good Good.” Not waiting for a response, Bernie comes around the counter and begins measuring the patron who just entered her shop. Lifting this arm and that, measuring each individual finger, kneeling and quickly measuring their feet, then popping back up to look deeply, and awkwardly into their eyes. “Fascinating. Did you know a quarter of the bones in your body are in your hand? No?! I didn't think so. OK! Let’s find you a wand. Pop Pop!”
Bernie ran around the shop, spitting out random nonsense facts that most people really didn’t need to know. “Did you know that your left lung is slightly smaller than your right? Did ya? Nope. Why? To make room for your heart? Awwww, so sweet.”
“Ok, let's try this one on for size.” Coming down from a ladder with a long box, Bernie handed the wand over to the student. It was rare to find a match with the first box, but it could be done. “Go on then,” she said, waving her hands about. “Give it a flick.”
English Oak, Boomslang Venom Core, 11in, Springy
English Oak:
A wand for good times and bad, this is a friend as loyal as the wizard who deserves it. Wands of English oak demand partners of strength, courage and fidelity. Less well-known is the propensity for owners of English oak wands to have powerful intuition, and, often, an affinity with the magic of the natural world, with the creatures and plants that are necessary to wizardkind for both magic and pleasure.
Boomslang Venom:
Boomslang venom, whether crystallized or in a rarer liquid core, provides a small boost to jinxes and hexes thanks to its venomous qualities. However, when a wandmaker undertakes the dangerous task of working with the raw venom, it is generally with the aim of creating a powerful Transfiguration wand. Whether or not the advantages outweigh the risks is not generally agreed upon in wandmaking circles.
Springy < the most common, easy to learn and cast, average power
If you love this combo, great! If you like one piece of your wand (core, wood, flexibility, etc.) Put that at the bottom of your next post in an OOC message. I will keep that the same for the next option. Or, I can come up with an entirely new wand. UP TO YOU!
Vinnie blinked, taken aback as the woman appeared. She circled him, taking measurements that seemed excessive in nature. Then she stared deeply into his eyes in a way that made him feel like he ought to take a step back. Before he could, she started to run about the shop, and soon returned with a wand box in hand.
Vinnie knew it almost always took a few tries to find the right wand. His brother Claude had done it on the second attempt, and his sister Ada not until her third. Vinnie’s father liked to tell the story of his own search for the perfect wand, in which a Wandmaker had grown so fed up after going through half a dozen wands that he’d thrown the whole stack of wand boxes at Vinnie’s father’s head.
Too excited to be nervous about the possibilities, Vinnie nevertheless expected very little. He slid the top of the box off, setting it on a nearby shelf. Then, with uncharacteristic gingerliness, he picked up the wand inside between his thumb and pointer. He wrapped the fingers of his right hand around the handle, feeling the weight of it in his hands.
“Oh,” Vinnie breathed. He had always thought of a wand as just a tool, one that every wizard needed. Yet the one in his hand didn’t feel like a tool. It felt like an extension of his very arm. The weight of it was perfect, the grip as natural as though he’d held it every day of his life. And then there was something else, something indefinable that made him know without knowing how that the wand would be with him through thick and thin, through danger and adventures. A thrill went through him, the same sort that seized him when he was facing something risky and unfamiliar.
As instructed, he gave the wand the smallest of flicks. Sparks of every color shot from the tip, forming a mini firework in front of him. He stared for a moment in wonder, before his gaze moved back towards the eccentric wandmaker. “This is it!” he confirmed enthusiastically. “This is the one.”
He grinned, sliding his wand back into the box and the box under his arm. He dug through his pocket, where he’d put the few galleons his parents had given him, and asked, “How much?
ooc: was originally going to have him try two or three, but this wand seems perfect for him
“OH GOOD FUN! We have a winner!” Bernie sings, dancing a jig behind the counter. “That is fantastic! And you didn't destroy my shop. Thanks for that, I appreciate the restraint.”
“How much? Bernie tapped her finger on her chin and looked at him appraisingly. Five Gaellons will do it.
Flitting around behind the counter, mumbling to herself while pulling a few things out here and there. “Ok, ARE YOU LISTENING?!” Green eyes wide, red hair fluffed out with her excursion. “I hope you are…” She said slowly, looking at the student carefully. “Here are the things you will need. FIRST!” She said with a flourish, “is your wand holster. You may strap it to your leg, or arm, sew it into clothing or use a pocket on the inside of your robes. DO NOT EVER! Put it in your back pocket. No No No. That's how little Tommy blew off a butt cheek. Yes he did. Big tadoo.” She trailed off, shaking her head at the poor unfortunate state of little Tommy.
“NEXT! Here is a jar of polish and a rag. Keep. Your. Wand. CLEAN! Do not make me say it again. It is important. And don’t even get me started on using it to pick your nose or itch your ear.” Wide green eyes met those of the student, her hands went up over her head, miming an explosion, “Boom!”
“AND THIRD! Wait… What's the third thing… umm, OH YES! Silly me. Have fun dear. Be good at Hogwarts, eat your veggies and stay away from the East Wing, I hear it’s haunted.” She gave them a knowing smile and walked away. As her back turned to the student, a small green leggy creature could be seen hanging on to her hat. Little Clyde, watching over his favorite human.
|
