Chapter 1
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere -- I wonder, now - - yes, why not -- unusual combination -- holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "
He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious..
"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"
Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather -- just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar."
*SNAP*
Suddenly the wand was out of its box, its aura seemingly duller, and in Harry’s hands one at both ends snapping it. The wand itself seeming to allow itself to be snapped. Both Mr. Ollivander and Hagrid stare at Harry.
Mr. Ollivander, after taking a moment to collect himself, silently grabs a few more wands and goes back to finding other wands for Harry robotically. Once one is found he asks for 14 galleons, pushes both wands into Harry’s arm and forces Harry and Hagrid out locking the door.
Hagrid gaps trying to find his words as Harry takes out his letter looking to see if any more supplies are needed.
“Harry? Why did-” Hagrid goes to ask but Harry interrupts, “Hagrid who normally takes muggle born kids to get their supplies?”
“Um Professor McGonnagal does. Why do you ask Harry?”
“Cause no offense you are maybe a tad but at it. Why didn’t she do mine?”
“I’m not sure Harry.” Hagrid seemed even confused now realizing how strange his presence is.
“I think I need to talk to her. I don’t want to go back.” Harry seemed extremely nervous to admit this not looking at Hagrid.
“Oh… are they really that bad Harry?” Harry still not looking at Hagrid, he nods.
“Well okay. Okay. I gotta…” Hagrid trails off into mumbles about what’s needed.
After a few moments he grabs out a quill and parchment looks down at Harry just standing there. “Right sorry Harry,” puts them back and leads him back to the Leaky Cauldron, “I’m gonna get us a private room and I’m going to send your owl to McGonnagal. We’re gonna figure this out lad.”
Harry is a little numb telling adults has never worked well in the past and just got him more time in his cupboard. He looks down at the floor and follows Hagrid on autopilot.
Once back into the Leaky Cauldron Hagrid tells him to wait off to the side where no one can see him and talks to Tom. Harry watches Hagrid waiting for this to all go wrong now.
Hagrid comes back, “Okay Harry got us a sitting room to ourselves.”
They go to the room and sit. Hagrid takes back out his quill and parchment. Hagrid starts writing:
Dear Professor McGonnagal,
I’m with Harry Potter. Dumbledore told me to collect him even though as Harry pointed out that’s not my job as he is muggle raised. He doesn’t want to go back. You probably know better than I what needs doing in this situation.
Hagrid
Hagrid offered the letter to Harry, “Does that look like enough for now?”
“I think so? Hagrid won’t my owl take a long time to get this to her?”
“Ah you’re right Harry. Hmm. Oh the Floo should do it Tom will let me use his given the circumstances.” Hagrid rushes out of the room leaving Harry with his thoughts and his owl which has worked her way out of her cage on to Harry’s lap. Harry pets the owl thinking maybe this time he won’t go back.
After some time Hagrid returned with a stern older woman.
“Harry this is professor McGonnagal” Harry just stared.
“Hello Harry, why don’t you want to go back to the Dursleys?” Though she sounds questioning and concerned, her eyes say that she knows. Harry just kept staring. “Ahhm Harry?”
“Sorry miss, your dress is pretty.”
“Oh thank you. Harry, do you need me to repeat my question?”
He nods no, “Um until the first letter I slept in my cupboard. I do all the cooking but barely get anything. All my clothes were Dudley’s. They don’t let me be better than him in school.” He trails off too nervous to keep going.
“Oh Harry… is there more?” He nods yes. “Are you up to tell me right now?” He nods no. “Well I think that’s enough for now to get you out of there. Would you be willing to see a… Doctor?” Hesitating unsure if that is the right word.
“I’ve never been to a doctor before.”
“Not even for your glasses.”
“Aunt Petunia got them at the chemist after a teacher told them I needed glasses.”
“Oh dear. Would you like a hug?” He nods yes. She hugs him tight he starts to cry.
“Is this your first hug dear?” He nods and she just hugs tighter. They stay there until Harry cries himself to sleep. McGonnagal settles him down transfiguring the chair into something comfier and summoning a blanket.
She turns to face hagrid who as been crying himself.
“That’s just scratching the surface isn’t it Minnie?”
“Most likely. Tell me everything since you picked him up”
“Well I picked him up at a lighthouse”
“Not privet drive?”
“I think the Dursleys were trying to hide from the letters.”
“Ah make sense.”
“I had to bust in the Dursleys, particularly the man, were belligerent. They didn’t tell him anything about who his parents were and what happened. Told him it was a car crash that killed them. I filled him in um not before I gave one of them a pig tail.”
She smiled, “I’ll take care of that Reubus.”
“Thank you. So after a bit of talk we went to sleep when we woke up we came straight here everything was pretty standard up until ollivanders. he got a wand that glowed to him ollivander went to pack it up and told Harry it was the brother to who know whos wand and suddenly it was back into Harry's hands and he snapped it what happened next was a fast and silent wanding and ollivander curtly asked for the fee of two wands and pushed us out.”
“Harry snapped a wand‽”
“He did when the wand reappeared in his hands it seemed dead…”
They just stared at each other for a moment, McGonnagal thinking. Finally, “He rejected the wand and he was its only possible owner. It lost its purpose…”
“That can happen? The wand wanted to be snapped?”
“Yes it’s very rare only heard stories. Where’s that wand?”
Hagrid went to Harry's new trunk which had the two wand boxes and an owl cage grabbed both boxes. He handed one to McGonnagal and set one on the table. She opened the box to see the holly wand into halves. She hovered her hands over the pieces. “It has no energy couldn’t even be fixed like yours Hagrid. It’s core is a feather from Fawkes?”
“Aye.”
She boxed back up the wand, set it back down and picked up the other and opened it. On top of the wand in scrawling text reads: Yew and Unicorn hair, eleven inches. She lifts the parchments and hovers her hand over the wand. After a moment she gasps. “It’s like this wand has taken the power of the snapped one.”
“How does that happen?”
“I don’t know but it means this wand has more power then average. I think I’m going to go get Poppy.” She packs up the wand and stands. “Reubus get a water for him and watch him.” She takes out her wand and leaves.