Chapter 12
After three weeks of training my vitality and agility finally increased.
Along with my strength, which was odd since the only training I did was running, but in the end, I simply concluded it was a natural increase because of my body growing. Or maybe it didn't matter how I trained and it always added to all physical stats
A few days after that I was playing with my fire, trying to make it into certain shapes as an exercise for my control over it.
I was fairly certain I had been trying to make a triangle, but when I managed a circle and got a level up I was fairly happy.
I was even happier when all of my magic stats increased.
I had managed to make the pebble I practised my summoning charm on to slowly hobbled towards me.
Sure it only moved 1 inch, but it was progress as I liked to say.
Bill had moved out immediately after leaving Hogwarts, as expected starting an apprenticeship with Gringotts to become a curse breaker.
For his 17th birthday I had given him some of my better drawings, I visited his apartment once and saw them hung out in his living room.
I wasn't sure if he had simply hung them there that one time to make me happy, but even if that was the case, it had worked.
Bill and I kept in contact through the owl he had gotten from our parents for making perfect.
I often asked him questions about magic and he asked me about home.
-/-
I was nine years old when I finally got to see Diagon alley, heh, diagonally.
Mum had taken me, Percy and the twins for Hogwarts shopping, Charlie was also gone at this point. Taming dragons in Romania.
If I had to use one word to describe Diagon alley it would be mesmerising.
"Can we go to the wand shop first, I want to ask some questions." Molly looked at me and nodded, me and my mother didn't have a bad relationship, strictly speaking, we simply didn't really have a relationship.
A mother developed a bond with her child in the stage of toddlerhood.
I simply hadn't initiated the bond and so it hadn't formed, once Ginny came she was distracted by her and then it was too late.
"Sure thing sweetie but don't annoy Mr Ollivander too much ok."
And so to Ollivander's we went.
I was trying not to concentrate on my magic sense, which was hard since I was constantly being bombarded by things and magic I've never sensed before.
But when we entered Ollivander's my mind almost exploded.
I just stood there rooted to the spot with my hands closed so violently I was almost drawing blood, even with the bandages I always wore.
The old bespectacled man looked at me oddly, but then he started measuring Gred and Forge.
It took me 15 minutes to get myself under control again. Incidentally exactly the time it took for the twins to get wands.
Mum looked at me questioningly, oh she wanted to know if they should wait for me.
"Go on, I have a lot questions, you'll only get bored if you wait for me, I'll be going to Hogwarts soon, I think it's about time I learn some responsibility. I will find you later."
I saw mum nodding, with a sad look in her eyes for some reason, the twins rolling their eyes and Percy was, well Percy had snuck away to eat some ice cream with a pretty looking girl.
I watched them leave and turned to face Ollivander, who finally decided to address me.
"seems like you have some questions for me young man, ask away." I saw in his eyes that he expected me to ask if I could pick my own wand or something equally as stupid.
"What do you believe is the function of the wand and how exactly is it necessary to use spells?" By the widening of his eyes, I assumed that had been an unexpected question. His demeanour turned a tad calculating.
"Believe, I would like to think I know." He was baiting me trying to make me reveal more of my personality before he committed to a certain approach in this conversation.
"In the world of magic, Belief often trumps knowledge." There, cryptic enough to be interpreted in different ways.
"Well if you must know, a Wand is there because with something more magical than themselves witches and wizards find it easier to channel from their magical core." A magical core? No, I couldn't be unique in my ability to sense magic, he was lying.
For some reason.
"It also provides a magical with a further way to strengthen their belief in their ability to wield magic with wand gestures." He was looking directly into my eyes now as if expecting something. I started an answer but then decided to say something else.
"I don't really think we have a magical core." I sat with the earnestness of a child. His eyes twinkled.
"And why do you think that? It is the most commonly believed theory of where magic comes from." He was looking for something. He had been trying to steer the conversation to this point since the beginning. Time to be a bit blunter.
"How did you realise I can sense magic?"
He blinked at my abruptness.
"By the way you reacted when you came into the shop, you looked like you were getting a fainting spell, I was quite concerned." Damn the guy was sending out grandfatherly vibes like the sun did radiation. Weirdo.
"Is being able to sense magic rare?" He grinned like a fox at my question.
"Yes, which you would know if you had told your family."
I looked at him with the bored eyes of a man who knew what was going on and had the perfect counter.
"Don't imply that's blackmail material, it really isn't."
Ollivander smiled at me.
"You're smarter than you look."
I almost got irritated, but that would simply be giving him a reaction.
"And you're not as socially incompetent as the most old pieces of horse droppings I've had to converse with over the years."
He was stunned by my crassnes so I went for the kill basically taking any advantage he had in this conversation for myself.
"So I assume being a wandmaker requires this special sense." The old man pouted, he pouted for god's sake old men weren't supposed to pout.
"Well I have to admit I underestimated you because of your age, but truly a Weasley in Slytherin, my what an outrage this will cause." He looked quite delighted by the outrage that would cause.
"Pff, Slytherin everyone knows the real Slytherins are in Hufflepuff." We both chuckled at that one.
"So I think we established that you're Slytherin material at least, and those people never do something without an intention. What can this humble wandmaker do for you?" Now that was just over the top.
"My family is too poor to buy me a new wand for Hogwarts in two years I want to be taught how to make one myself." Ollivander blinked, he blinked again and then he simply said.
"Ok."
"Thank you, Mr Ollivander."
"You can call me Garrick."