Reaper Of The Wizarding World - Volume 1 Chapter 8 Trip To Diagon Alley
These months I have spent in the Tonks household were the happiest days I have had in this life or the last. To say I have grown attached to Aunt Dromeda, I’ve come to see her as the mother I never had. I also learned that if I leer into someones third eye as I touch them I can see some of their darkest tragedies, the first time it happened with Aunt Dromeda it scared me. It also gave me a new respect for her, the hardsh.i.p.s she went through after her family disowned her were heartbreaking. They only added fuel to my hate of the elitist purebloods.
During this time Nymphadora, aka Dora, had graduated from Hogwarts, apparently, Auntie hadn’t told Dora about me. So when we showed up and she saw me walking with her parents she had thought I was an illegitimate child. It was fun watching Uncle Ted(Edward) explain that I wasn’t a child out of wedlock but instead her cousin.
I had also found Godric’s Hollow, I snuck away and took the knight bus there, I buried Sirius next to the combined grave of Lily and James Potter. I’m sure no one in the village will care about a grave being added to the corner of a sparsely populated cemetery.
Sis Dora was really nice, she let me use her wand to practice magic, not that I really needed it, I had learned a lot of simple stuff myself. She was currently studying for her Mastery in Defence Against the Dark Arts, she said that’s her first step to becoming a great Auror. She is really clumsy so I’m not sure how she’ll get there but with how hard she works I’m positive she will get there eventually.
I always nagged Auntie Dromeda to let me go get a wand from Ollivanders but she always said we would go and get it when my invitation to Hogwarts came in. That day was today.
When I came downstairs from my room I saw both Dora and Auntie Dromeda were sitting at the table smiling at me. Auntie Dromeda was holding an old fashioned letter in her hand with a wax seal on it.
“Soren, come and get your mail.” she waved the letter at me.
I grab the letter from her hands and read it, the cover says
‘To Soren Black 431 Willows Dr. Appleby’
the inside reads
‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear, Mr. Soren Black,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. The term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress’
I unfold it and the listed equipment and books are as written
‘Uniform
1.Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2.One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3.One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4.One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Books
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
Equipment
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad’
“That’s… a lot of stuff, how am I going to pay for it all?” I look at Aunt Dromeda. “I don’t have rights to the Black family fortune until I’m 18. I don’t wanna ask for you to pay”
“Don’t worry, you may not have access to the Black family fortune but you can get your fathers.” She winks at me “I know where he liked to hide his valuables.”
——–
We apparate to the Black manor and head to Sirius’s room, Aunt Dromeda Ignores Kreacher’s yells telling her she can’t be there. Aunt Dromeda walks up to the biggest poster in the room. It’s of a nearly n.a.k.e.d woman sucking a lollipop, wearing only a leather bikini and a tight-fitting leather jacket that doesn’t even cover her entire chest.
Aunt Dromeda looked at me with a wry smile, “Your father REALLY liked muggle… culture”
I have a stupid smile on my face staring at the poster “I can appreciate that sort of culture as well.” This earns me a quick smack to the side of my head.
She aims her wand at the poster and speaks slowly. “Alohomora” The poster and wall behind it swing open into a hidden room.
‘I guess there are more holes in the memories I got from Sirius than I thought…’
The hidden room is almost completely empty except for a small wooden box sitting in the middle of it. Auntie stepped forward and opened the box with me close behind. Inside the box was a picture of Sirius Black stand next to a woman smiling and a single golden key. Auntie stares at the picture for a second then looks at me.
“Your mother?”
I stay silent because I have no idea what to say in this situation, the woman in the picture was a muggle woman Sirius met in a biker bar while traveling, never anything serious. Why did he store a picture of her?! Auntie takes my silence as an affirmation.
‘I guess it’s for the best?’
After that, we head to Gringotts.
The street in front of Gringotts is painfully crowded, and it only gets worse on the inside. There are massive lines everywhere but the seemingly endless number of tellers makes it bearable. When we make our way to the front we are greeted by a goblin who looks like he’s been sitting there for years with no break.
He looks up at Auntie “What are you here for today?”
“We are here to make a withdrawal for him” she nods her head at me.
He stands up in his high seat to peer over the counter at me “…Vault number?”
“688”
He scoffs in agreement then looks down at his paper. His eyebrows raise “The owner of the vault is a ‘Sirius Black’?”
This time I speak up “Yes sir, that’s my father.”
Still standing in his chair looking at me “… Proof of identification.”
I show him Sirius’s ring, he simply nods then looks at auntie again. “Key”
She hands him the key and he starts walking away with us following close behind.
We get into a cart in what seems to be a mining cave, but the cart is wider, obviously meant for people. As we are heading down auntie starts giving exposition.
“Gringotts is the most secure place in the wizarding world, even more secure than Hogwarts. They take the defense of this place so seriously that around the 700 level faults you can hear the roar of the dragon they keep.” The goblin scoffs with a smile on his face, obviously happy at her praise of Gringotts.
As we arrive in front of vault 688 we stop on a dime and the goblin echos “Vault number 688.” as he steps out the cart he turns around “Watch your step, Lamp please.” The vaults themselves are just massive circular steel doors with the number written in the middle and large handles on one side.
The goblin walks up to the door and hands me the lamp, as I take the lamp he pulls out my key and in a goblin height lock inserts it. The giant door unlatches and auntie opens it for me. Inside the vault is a small mountain of galleons my mouth drops.
Auntie looks at me with an entertained smile. “According to the goblin, it’s 52,334 galleons. Don’t be too surprised, when you inherit the Black family fortune that’s more around 200,000 gallons. That vault is 711, just down the hall actually.”
“How much should I take?” I probably look nervous little did I know I inadvertently made myself rich.
“Oh, around 2000 would be enough for your year at Hogwarts, if you need more you can always come back during a break.” she smiles at me nonchalantly after mentioning such a ludicrous amount of money.
I pull out my Mokeskin Pouch and start piling the coins in, after what I think is around 2000 I stop piling them in and tell the goblin I’m done.
After that, we head back up and head towards Flourish and Blotts since getting the books should be the fastest. Then comes Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions as well as Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment for the robes, hat, cloak, gloves, crystal phials, a telescope, and a set brass scales. Then came Potage’s Cauldron Shop for the cauldron, of course, also because It was right next to Ollivanders and Eeylops Owl Emporium.
Next, we went to Eeylops because I wanted to save the wand for last. Inside there were a ton of different owls all different colors and various shapes… as various as owls get I mean. I ended up buying a grey screech owl since it seemed to give me a curious nod when I looked at it. It was a light greyish brown with feathers on its head that made it look like it had huge eyebrows and was always angry.
Finally, Finally, it was time to go to Ollivanders, I could, at last, get a wand that would suit me properly. As I walk in the shop is seemingly empty, auntie told me to go in myself, that it was better if I didn’t have anyone to influence my decision. Looking down the rows of shelves littered with wands I see an old man curiously looking in the shelves picking out wants and moving them.
“Excuse me!” I call out getting his attention.
“Ah yes sorry I was so engrossed in work I didn’t hear the bell ring. Here for your first wand I suppose?”
“Yup” I smile at him, He looks at me up and down. Before he even says anything more to me he walks to another shelf across from himself and picks out one seemingly randomly.
He carefully takes the wand out of the box and hands it over to me. “Here you go boy, try it out.”
I take the wand and give it a wave at the bell on the desk, the bell doesn’t make a sound but cracks. “Well, that certainly isn’t it.” He says as he takes the wand from me. He walks back to the shelves and grabs another one.
“Hmm, maybe this will work..” He hands me the new wand. I flick my wrist again and the same thing occurs, the bell gains another crack.
“A tricky customer I see” He goes back to grab another.
This happens 54 times, trust me I counted, after the 54th try the bell finally broke. “I’m sorry sir I didn’t mean to break it.”
“It’s fine I have a load of them in back, it happens more often than you thin-” he pauses in thought. “Tell me boy have you ever witnessed the death of someone?” he asks in a near whisper.
I don’t reply I just give a small nod. “Then I will be right back…” he takes off in a fast walk towards the back of the shop and into the back room.
After maybe a minute or two he comes out again holding a wand box but this one is black with intricate golden inlays.
‘fancy box for a wand’ I think
He sets the box carefully on the desk and opens it slowly, with both hands. The wand itself is pure black, the handle is also black but the golden inlays on the pommel extending to the bottom of the wand. The inlays look identical to what is on the box, golden skeletal wings.
He takes the wand out carefully and presents it to me with both hands, this wand seems longer than the ones he has given me before. As I take it into my had it feels like putting on a perfectly fitting glove, my power runs into the wand and circulates back to me naturally with me even willing it.
“This feels perfect!” I exclaim but Ollivander has no reaction he just stares at me looking very serious.
“Try it out,” he says, his voice sounds dry. I point at the bell hanging on the door and flick my wrist again, this time the bell makes a harmonious chime. Ollivander’s face is still hard no longer staring at me or the wand but just out into space.
“Um excuse me, Mr. Ollivander, I’ll take this on please,” I say hoping to get out while this old man is still sane. He seeming snaps out of his 1000 yard stare and looks back at me with a less stressed out face.
“Boy let me tell you a story, there was once a young wandmaker who came from a long long line of wandmakers. He was an impressionable lad that wanted to make a wand so grand his name would live on forever.
One night his mother had told him about a story she read, the book was called the Deathly Hallows. In the story Death himself personally made a wand and gifted it to a mortal, this wand is known as the elder wand, the most powerful wand in existence.
The young man slaved away trying to make the same wand for years and years till he finally accepted no mortal man can create a wand that incorporates Thestral tail hair with elder wood. Because even though Elder wood was considered rare and powerful it just could not handle the power of Thestral hair; we can assume Death used something more powerful than regular magic to strengthen the wood.
So the man sought out all different kinds of wood capable of making a wand and tried incorporating Thestral hair into it as a core. This process took him many years since he would try many times over with the same wood to make sure it wasn’t his talent in the way. The man tried 42 different types of wood, even some types of wood not used in wand making just because it was a possibility.
On the 42nd type of wood, he finally found success, first try no less. After that first success he failed thousands of more attempts but couldn’t create a second like it, finally, he accepted defeat and retired. It would have taken the fool less time had he not gone in alphabetical order, the wood he used was Yew wood, known for its dark tendencies and power over life and death.
The old fool was successful but the wand he created never chose anyone, and if it didn’t choose them it would cause spell backlash to the wielder. That old fool was my Great Great Grandfather Gervont Ollivander, and you are now holding that very wand.
15 Inches, Natural Black Yew, Unyieldingly sturdy, and a Thestral Tail Hair Core… the one and only, outside of the elder wand of course. ”
I just stare at him dumbfounded still taking in all the information he has just given me.
“I’ll be honest young man, I’m not sure If I even want to give away this wand, it is like a family treasure. Not only that but considering everything about it, this wand must be very powerful, not that anyone has ever shown its power… But… Considering the wand chooses the wizard and you are the first person that wand has ever chosen, I will bite my tongue and part ways with it.”
I bow my head “Thank you, sir”
“No need, No need boy. That will be 7 Galleons please.” He says with a pained smile.
I dig in my bag and pull out two massive handfuls of galleons and put them on the desk ‘That should be at least a few hundred’.
“Boy, this is way too much all wands only cost 7 Galleons, this has been a tradition for years.”
“Just consider it a gift from a friend.” I smile at him. Seeing the look on my face he just nods.
“By the way young man, what is your name?”
“Soren, Soren Black,” I say as I start walking away, I can see him nod out of the corner of my eye.
As I am about to open the door I turn the face him “By the way sir, is it real? The Elder Wand?”
He smiles at me “Yes Mr. Black, yes it is.”
With that I nod at him as thanks and leave, completing my trip to Diagon Alley and getting my First Wand. I meet up with auntie who is waiting outside the shop and we head home.