Diagon Alley

After Edd had come out of a fireplace in Diagon Alley, his mother had popped out shortly after him. His sister had been waiting for him with her arms crossed and a playful comment about wishing he’d gotten lost in the network. The three of them had made their way throughout Diagon Alley, buying various school books, cauldrons, and robes for the two of them. Edd had gotten a brown barn owl he named Hoot, and his sister got a black cat with white paws she named Mittens. Edd had spotted an abnormally large man walking around with a bewildered-looking boy with untidy black hair. He wondered if the man was half-giant or something. There is no way a normal person could be that big.

Edd’s mother led him and his sister to a shop called ‘Ollivanders’. Edd had heard about Ollivander and his excellent wands; every young wizard in Britain looks forward to the day they get their very own Olivander wand. Eddrick was beyond excited to finally be introduced to the tool that will serve as his primary companion throughout his adventures at Hogwarts. His mother stopped and turned to face the two of them. "Alright, you two, I need to run an errand quick. The two of you get your wands and then wait for me at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.”

She gave both of them a stern look that informed them of the fury waiting for either of them should they do anything other than what she just said. She fished several coins from her money pouch; she always made sure to carry around wizard money as well as muggle money, and handed them to each sibling: “Eight galleons each to cover your wands and something from Fortesques.” She departs, and Lillian jabs Eddrick with an elbow. “Come on, Eddie; I’m excited to get my wand. Although your’s will probably be short and unsatisfying.” Edd rolled his eyes. “My wand will be very satisfying to all the cuties at Hogwarts.” Lillian scoffed and entered Olivanders. Edd followed his sister into the wand-making shop.

The shop contained many long, slender boxes tucked into shelves that lined the walls to the ceiling. Lillian looked around with excitement clear in her eyes. She accidentally bumped into a chair that she hadn’t seen. “This place is rather cramped.” Edd heard a small chuckle. "Well, what did you expect? It’s a wand shop tucked in a back alley.” An older gentleman, whom Edd assumed was Mr. Olivander, came out from the back of the shop. Lillian cleared her throat and said, “Sorry.” Mr. Olivander chuckled again. “It’s all right; let's get you two some wands.” Lillian went first. Mr. Olivander’s measuring tape began to take various measurements of the girl while he looked around at the different wands in his shop. Once the tape had finished, it crumpled to the ground, and Mr. Olivander pulled a wand from one of the shelves. He proceeded to hand her several different wands before quickly swiping them away from her. Edd sat in a chair in the corner of the shop while this was happening. Eventually he pulled a wand down from the shelf and said, “Here, perhaps this one will suit you. Ash, Dragon Heartstring, nine and a half inches, rather stiff.” Lillian took the wand and gave it a swish. Amber sparks flew from the tip of her wand as she gave an excited cheer. Edrick gave a small golf clap, and his sister rolled her eyes at him.

The siblings switched places, and Mr. Olivander began the process with Edd. He first took the measurements and then started handing Edd wands, only to swipe them out of his hands the moment he raised them. It took Edd quite a bit longer to find his wand than it had taken his sister. She made a couple jeering remarks about how maybe Edd wasn’t magic enough for a wand, and he just tried to ignore her. Eventually, Mr. Olivander held a sleek, polished-looking wand and said, “This is one from the back. I think that it just might work. It is yew, Dragon Heartstring, eleven and three quarters inches, quite sturdy. Give it a go.” Edd took the wand and waved it in the air, causing amber sparks to fire from the end. Mr. Olivander clapped, “Wonderful. I can tell that this wand will serve you well in whatever you may choose to pursue. Yew wands are rather rare and are said to grant power over life and ****. But so does any wand, really. And you will find that Dragon Heartstring will give you powerful magic, but be careful as it is the most prone to accidents.” Mr. Olivander seemed to be far more excited about finding a wand for Eddrick than the old man was about his sister. Edd got the feeling that finding a wand for a difficult match was something Mr. Olivander took a great deal of joy in. Edd was happy to see that the older man got such a kick out of his work. He hoped to find something that brought him as much happiness.

Lillian snickered, “I’m sure that’ll go great. A wand prone to accidents in your hands? I can’t wait to see how this goes.” She mocked her in a sarcastic tone. Mr. Olivander shook his head and placed a hand on Edrick's shoulder. “Don’t worry, young man. You’ll do fine. Remember that while the wand may choose the wielder, it does not define them. You will have as many accidents as are required to learn, and then you’ll have more anyway. The important thing is learning, which you will be doing much of at Hogwarts. Now you two best be off; I’m sure you've got more to get to than standing around a stuffy old wand shop.”

Me. Olivander gave the two of them a kind smile and seemed to be in a rather good mood after the whole thing. They each handed him seven galleons and bid him a good day. Lillian rolled her eyes as the two siblings exited the wand shop. “I’ll bet you a galleon you don’t keep your eyebrows on all year.” Edrick laughed a little. “You're on. A galleon on top of it says, You don’t get a boyfriend all year.” Lillian gave him a sharp punch in the arm before muttering, “You’re on; I’ll have a much easier time finding a relationship than you.” Eddrick smirked and couldn’t help pulling his wand out. “Even though my wands are bigger than yours, Ms. Nine and a Half Inches,” Lillian let out a short laugh before giving him a much softer punch on the shoulder. Eddrick and his sister made their way to the wizard ice cream shop, where each got a scoop. As they were leaving, that massive man from earlier entered and passed the two siblings. Eddrick wondered where the boy he was with had gone, but figured that it wasn’t really any of his business.