The Perfect Wand

"Don't know what it is about this place, but it has something special that makes people flock to it," Sebastian said with appreciation. His hands moved to his hips as he breathed in a lung full of air.

"Maybe it's the big houses, clean streets, or the high amount of commerce traveling through the area," William said, looking around at the smiling townsfolk.

"I like my theory better. It's a 'magical' place after all…" Sebastian said, poking fun at William's upbringing before he continued, "Anyway, I want to see what wand you get, but I'll have to run off and get something for Anne afterward."

"Okay, I only need a few things after all. Lead the way," William gestured.

The two young men walked through the mighty town. William was amazed at how the architecture functions, given the absurd proportions of the houses. They arrived in front of a shop, Ollivander's. William observed the freakish amount of advertising on the business; the name was plastered on the door, the windows, and the large shop sign hanging into the street.

"Are you ready? To get a wand. From possibly. The best. Wand-smith in the world?" Sebastian said, opening and holding the door for William. 

A light laugh escaped William's lips. "Yeah, I am, but it's not like I'm getting a new hand," William said as they entered the shop. The surprisingly small room featured open shelves holding dozens, if not hundreds, of wand cases.

"Oh! You might be surprised then!" The voice of a man shouted from the back of the shop. The man continued as his voice became louder, and the two could hear his footsteps. "A perfectly fitted wand is truly akin to another hand, or maybe an extension of one's own!" He said with a boisterous laugh.

The man arrived at the front desk. He was old, ancient even, perhaps even a senior to Fig. His white hair had retreated to the back folds of his head, and his mustache grew long. "I've never seen you before, so I take it you're the new fifth year. You're quite the handsome young man," the man said as he examined William's clothes. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Gerbold Ollivander. It's always nice to see a fellow Slytherin," he said, extending his hand.

"William Lee Lewis, likewise," William responded, shaking Gerbold's hand.

"Then… Let's get you a wand!" Gerbold said merrily.

He released William's hand and walked around the counter to look at the different shelves of wands. "So William, tell me about yourself," he said, eyes roaming the shelves.

William didn't want to spout his life story, as it was his life and his privacy, but the bestowal of a wand is said to be an intimate process. "I started this life as an orphan. I was dropped off at a boy's home in London, one of the first. The orphanage's owner took a liking to me, and so, he adopted me. I became his son, and he raised me." A slight smile appeared on William's lips as he remembered.

"Ah, an orphan," Gerbold said as he shuffled to another shelf. Meanwhile, Sebastian leaned against the shop window, listening.

"Anyway, I grew smart, and with age, I came to exploit chocolate sales for a prophet; I was just seven then."

"That's quite smart for a seven-year-old," Sebastian said admiringly. 

"Thanks," William continued, "Using my intelligence and resourcefulness, I became the ring leader for the kids of the orphanage, even the older ones… Simpler times," William said with a sigh. It was as if he wanted to get lost in that world again; the simplicity of youth was quite alluring to him.

"Then, one day, my father had fallen ill, 'The White Plague…' I loved him more than anything in the world, so when he passed, I broke. I was only nine then." William paused as his voice cracked.

The shop went quiet, and Gerbold stopped rummaging through the shelves. He turned to look at William. If Gerbold wasn't paying attention, he certainly was now.

Sebastian looked towards William and said with a somber tone, "I understand your pain, to have your parents ripped away from you at such a young age," Sebastian looked to the ground, "It's a truly horrifying experience."

"Just nine?" Gerbold took a moment to collect himself before he said, "That's… awful."

William found his strength and continued, "I had moved on to bigger ventures than chocolate monopolizing, but when he died, I started to steal. Not small things either: national treasures and relics of war." 

"The sword you were talking about," Sebastian questioned.

"Yes," William affirmed with a shake of his head.

"What of the orphanage?" Gerbold asked.

"I made one of the adults who were raised in the orphanage its master."

After a moment of silence, William said, "I then organized the rougher kids into groups of thieves. I was their ringleader, so when one of the kids, even younger than I, got caught, I took the fall. We stole a treasured sword from a remarkably powerful military family. In the end, we succeeded, but I was trapped. The Admiral that caught me sent me overseas to fight in a war."

"And how old were you then," Gerbold said as his face lost color. It looked as though he'd lost all faith in humanity.

"I was ten at that moment… I was at sea for half a month before being dropped off in Burma. I fought in that damned war zone… then I returned home a year later, when only rebellious citizens were left."

Sebastian couldn't shake the thought in his mind, "How did the military allow that? Don't you have to be 19 years old to step out of the country with the military?" it just didn't seem right to him; how could someone do that to a kid?

"Correct, the military doesn't allow anyone under nineteen to leave the shores, but the family was quite influential, and while I was only ten, I looked to be fourteen. They could bend the rules for a fourteen-year-old, especially with the authority they wielded." He held a melancholic expression on his face, but soon, his eyes lightened up, "Anyways, from there, it was smooth sailing. When I returned, my businesses skyrocketed in value, and I arrived at the peak. But I was proven wrong; I got a letter from Hogwarts, and now, I'm a wizard."

"Don't forget about the dragon," Sebastian said with a smile, alleviating the room's tension.

"Oh, yeah." William turned to Gerbold and said matter-of-factly, "There was a dragon."

Gerbold looked as if his brain had shut down for a movement. His eyes were empty, and his mouth slightly opened. With a blink, he returned to really. His grasp on himself had waned, but now he was back. He clapped his hands together, as if to dispel any lasting gloom, then said, "Let's get you that wand!"

Gerbold strode over to a shelf with a large label on its top, 'Fir.' His hands glided over the boxes with masterful precision. His years of experience guided him as his hand stopped on a wand case. It lay at the bottom of the stack. Its case was dark blue, covered with silver highlights, and the name Ollivander read on its front. He pulled it out gently, his years of precision showing as his hands steadied. 

"Here you are," he said, turning to William. "This is made of Fir wood. It's for people who stare death in the face and laugh; from what you've told me, that sounds just like you, Mr William." His sturdy hands opened the casing, revealing a beautiful wand. Its wood looked akin to a peach, slightly pink. "Its core is that of a dragon's heartstring; its power flows through the wood, this gives it a stubborn but potent effect."

William grasped the wand. As he allowed his energy to flow through it, it suddenly fired out of his hand. 

Its sharp tip headed straight for Gerbold's throat, but his rusty instincts kicked in, and he ducked just in time.

"Woah! Never in my life have I ever seen a wand reject a user like that!" Gerbold turned around to see the wand stuck in a wall.

"It just slipped out of my hands. Does it think I'm not strong enough?" William said, his voice a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

"Slipped!" Sebastian exclaimed with a laugh. "It practically ran away."

"That it did," Gerbold said, a questioning tone arising in his voice. "Quiet, please." He hushed the room as he needed to think.

A few moments of silence ensued before the trio heard a subtle crash. The crash came from behind Gerbold, where the wand wedged itself into the wall. A black and red case flung itself off the shelf and fell to the ground. A wand sprung out and rolled to William's feet. 

William's eyes locked onto the wand, his breath hitching at the sight. It stood at a formidable 11 inches, crafted from vibrant redwood that seemed to glow with celestial light. The wood's grain flowed in elegant, swirling patterns, giving a sense of beauty and raw power. At the base, three sharp spikes jutted out; their presence alone was enough to terrorize.

The handle, five inches in length, was smooth and meticulously crafted, fitting perfectly in William's hand as he grasped it. From the handle, the design grew increasingly menacing. Single-sided, razor-sharp spikes protruded every inch and a half, leading up to the tip where a final, deadly spike shot out, ready to channel powerful magic.

The wand held an air of mystery, hinting at a core of extraordinary origin, a secret well-guarded within its wooden casing. William felt an almost magnetic pull, as if it was calling out to him—like a part of him had been missing for his entire life, and he'd just found it.

[Image]

William looked at the wand with hungry eyes and parched lips. "It's so beautiful," William whispered. 

Sebastian looked at the sight with curious eyes. He had never seen or heard of such a thing, a wand clawing itself to its owner. "Nice, you finally got a wand, and this one doesn't seem to be flying away," Sebastian said, a smile chiseled on his face.

Gerbold gasped. He recognized the wand, and he recognized it well. It was his last project, the most unique creation he'd ever made. He stood there, just watching, waiting to see what would happen.

William's eyes glowed, and his breathing became shaky as he held the wand. 'It's so light,' he thought, swinging the wand around. It was hard, almost unbending, but in his hands, it felt as light as a feather. 

As William put his energy into the wand, his eyes glazed over, and the room was engulfed in a black, red, and blue storm. The wand released a red and black radiance that clashed with William's sapphire eyes—wand cases and anything that wasn't tied down started to fly off the shelves. The 'winds' became violent as wands crashed into Sebastian and Gerbold.

Sebastian ran over to Gerbold and roared, "Protego!" A thin translucent shield encompassed their bodies, protecting them from the incoming knife-like wands. "So much for a normal wand!" Sebastian shouted.

William stared into the wand's core, and the wand started into William's soul. Two ethereal beasts adorned in twilight fur made their presence known in the shop. Behind William, the beast had gleaming blue eyes, even more pronounced than himself, and behind the wand was an identical beast, except its eyes were blood-red scars marred its face. The two ethereal figures locked eyes before pouncing on one another. They could feel it; they were enemies, and it was a battle of dominance. Their bodies were locked into fiery combat as the storm consumed the shop. Boards flew off their hinges and through the air. 

The beasts were akin to a force of nature. Their bodies were like lions. They Used their diamond-like claws; they scratched each other with deadly precision. The wand's beast slapped William's beast in the face. A claw mark formed on its face as William coughed up blood, still in his tranced state. The blue-eyed beast didn't back down, though. Its fury grew as it pounced on the red-eyed beast.

"William! Drop the wand!" Sebastian screamed from his protective barrier.

William's eyes had lost their sparkle as the blood that fell from his nose and mouth ran down his face. None of Sebastian's words made it to William's mind.

Sebastian held his wand in the air, protecting himself and Mr Ollivander from the beastial fight. With frantic eyes, he called to Gerbold, "What are they!"

Gerbold lay on the ground, his face clouded with awe and fear. Only one word escaped his lips: "MANTICORE!" His scream echoed through the barrier, reaching Sebastian.

Sebastian looked to Gerbold with a worried expression. They were manticores. "Apparate us out of here, damn it!"

Gerbold wasn't responding; his face was fear-struck, and his body wasn't responding. 

Sebastian pulled back his leg and kicked Gerbold. "Either apparate us out of here or fix this! I can't hold my shield charm for long!"

With the brutal kick to his ribcage, Gerbold came back to reality. He grabbed Sebastian's arm and closed his eyes…

When he opened them, he expected to be outside his shop when he opened them, but that wasn't the case. His ears twitched as they were berated by the sound of the shop items slamming against their barrier. His eyes opened, confirming he was in the exact same place. 

He held his wand and called to Sebastian, "There will be no apparition! We can only wait this out! Pretago!" Gerbold reinforced the barrier that protected them.

The shop was in shambles; everything was broken, and the two responsible for it were locked into the eye of the storm. Their avatars, manticores, fought with murderous intent.

The red-eyed manticore fought bitterly, but it wasn't enough. The wand's manticore was tired, and William's manticore knew it. The wand's avatar started to slow; its ferocity became less. Blue Eyes took advantage of this fatigue and knocked Red Eyes' head out of the way, then sprung for its neck. Blue's jaws locked onto Red's neck as its eyes radiated their sapphire hue. The blue light consumed the whole shop. 

The life that once permeated Red's ethereal body was now extinguished as it fell to the ground, disappearing in a black mist. The blue-eyed manticore stood over the twilight fog that used to be its enemy; it released a blood-curling roar, then exploded into a morbid, bleak fog.

William fell to his knees, his eyes regaining their light. "I just can't get a break, can I?" William said through his heavy breaths as he gazed at the destruction around him. At that moment, he felt… alive. The world felt new, and the wand in his hand was akin to drinking a cold glass of water after a long day. All the pain and irritation he felt was gone, but the allure of its presence remained.

"Reperio!" Gerbold called, spinning his wand in the air. The shop, in just a moment, returned to its undestroyed state.

As Gilbert demanded the shop's restoration, Sebastian ran over to William and helped him up. "Let's get you sat down," Sebastian said, conjuring a chair.

William sat and looked at Gerbold, who stood in the middle of the room. "I don't understand what that was, Mr. Ollivander."

Sebastian flicked his wand towards William as he talked. All the blood disappeared from William's face and clothes. He then waved his wand, making a chair appear. Sebastian sat down and looked at Gerbold. 

Gerbold looked towards the two and raised one finger, "Just… just wait." He walked over to his chair and sat down with an audible sigh. Some tension in his face was relieved as he rubbed his back against the chair. 

He shut his eyes, as if resting for a moment before opening them. "I don't know what exactly happened, but I do know what the core of that wand is." Gerbold conjured a mug on his desk and put his wand on the edge. Coffee, black as night, started to flow into his cup. 

He paused for a moment, watching his cup fill. "The type of wand wood can only affect its product so much. The wand's core is the most important part," he said, pouring his fresh coffee down his throat. He slammed the empty cup on the table before he continued, "That core was from, probably, the most unique magical specimen to walk the globe. A manticore."

Sebastian gave Gerbold a questioning look, "Manticore's aren't that rare, though."

Gerbold rubbed his eyes as if the question stressed him out. "You're right, Mr Sallow, but this wasn't any manticore. A normal manticore has a lion's body and a scorpion's tail. Its face resembles a lion's, but there's a difference: it can show emotions like a human, talk and think like a human. The core in that wand," he pointed towards the wand William held, "is from the king of all manticores, one of its tail spikes, to be precise. The manticore's name was Domitor. Its body was bigger than an elephant and tall enough to look down on a dragon. It had wings akin to a dragon's, and its tail was like a barbed mace that could shoot spikes."

"How did they kill it? Because if what I saw was even ten times more powerful, I don't think anyone could take it down." William questioned, his hands caressing his wand.

A loud sigh followed William's question. "Manticores are highly resistant to magic, and this particular manticore wasn't just resistant to magic, it was immune to it. It took the combined efforts of Greece's military and wizarding council to kill it. Its body was carved up, and the available magical materials were sold. Despite its large size, only twenty-one available wand cores could be harvested from its body. Thirteen spikes, four heart strings, three mane hairs, and one crystalline kidney stone."

"So many people must have died. Especially if they called in the muggles' military." Sebastian said in a somber tone. He was right. It was exceptionally rare for muggles to take on such a beast, but what choice did they have? If a beast was immune to attacks thrown at it by wizards, then the only thing that could kill it was the minds of brilliant men, wizards or not.

"Indeed, thousands died in its rampage," Gerbold said, looking at Sebastian. He turned to William and said, "My point is, I don't know what happened earlier. All I can say is I've never made a wand that rare; the core of a one-of-a-kind manticore and the wood form one of the rarest woods in the world, the Redwood. And to tell the truth, I've never seen a ruckus like that occur when a wand and wizard bond."

William took a moment to absorb what Gerbold said. "What's Redwood? I've never heard of it." William questioned.

"The Redwoods are from the forests of California, in America. They're the tallest trees in the world and only choose lucky users or those who appear to be. An American writer detailed that users of the Redwood tend to always land on their feet, whether it be skill or chance… I think this scenario demonstrates perfectly the act of 'being lucky.' You faced peril, and you came out mostly unscathed. If you were unlucky, the Redwood wouldn't have chosen you, and you would've never seen the spiked core… you could say this is the brilliance of my design."

William grasped his hands on his wand. He closed his eyes briefly and let his energy flow into it. "It feels as if… it submitted to me."

"The wand chose you; that's how it should feel with difficult hands. Although it's usually a warm feeling in your stomach, not a shop-destroying battle for dominance," Gerbold said, laughing.

Sebastian held his legs and gave a large sigh. "Well, besides almost giving me a heart attack, this trip to Hogsmeade has been nice," Sebastian said, standing up from his chair. He patted William on the shoulder before saying, "Now, I'm going to get something for Anne. You get your supplies, and we'll meet in the town Square." He walked towards the door, but just before he left, he called to William, "Stay safe!"

"Will do!" William shouted towards Sebastian and then looked at Gerbold, "Do people name their wands?" 

Gerbold looked to William with eyes filled with perplexity and confusion. After all the trouble with his wand, William wanted to know if people had named theirs. "I've met a few people who name their wands, but they're rather uncommon. You'd you like to name yours?"

"Yeah, I just don't know what?"

"The manticore's name was Domitor; why not name it after the spike harvested to become your core?"

"Hmm, that sounds wonderful!" William looked at his wand and said in the manliest accent he could muster, "From this day forth, you are Domitor, destroyer of worlds, and conqueror of stars!"