Chapter 12
“I was so worried Father would say no and take me home to ‘punish’ me for insolence or some other nonsense reason.” Draco sighed and flopped on Harry's bed carelessly. He grabbed Adhara, cuddling her to his chest, and a magazine with a sad huff. He flipped through it carefully but quickly. Only stopping on pages about fashion trends and celebrity drama.
Adhara had become well loved in the few years Harry had owned her. Between Draco and Harry carrying her everywhere, she had lost an eye and a wing. Her fur was ruffled, and her magic had begun fading. She became slower and moved far less. She still puffed candy scented smoke and if anything she made more. Draco thinks it’s out of spite.
Lucius often tells them to throw her away. She is broken after all. Harry and Draco refuse, she may not be perfect but isn’t that what makes her all the more beautiful? Her imperfections are born of love and adoration. There is a unique beauty one can find in chaos, a rare beauty but a genuine one all the same.
Harry clicked his tongue on his teeth in annoyance. He vowed that one day he would make Lucius feel all the pain he forced upon others. “Do you know what you’re going to pick?” He asked. “Something the school would allow would be the best choice. I looked into the rules about pets and it's not as restrictive as the letter implied. Practically anything is allowed, so long as it is no bigger than a large raccoon, isn't a crup, doesn’t breath fire or sub-zero frost, and it doesn’t have quills.” Draco looked up from the magazine, his eyes wandered in careful consideration.
“I think I'll get a kneazle. I’ve wanted one since I was a child. I name it Leonis or something of the like.” He said excitedly. “What about you? Do you have any Idea what you’ll get?” Harry shook his head, he hadn’t the faintest clue. Perhaps he’ll get a Kneazle as well, or maybe a bunny.
“By the way, what house do you think you’ll sort into? I know I’ll be a slytherin.” There was no question about that. Harry would bet 80 sickles he would have the hat on for no more than five seconds and be placed for slytherin. He is incredibly ambitious and resourceful although he does lack a bit in the cunning category. “I don’t really know. Father says he thinks I could be any house really. I guess I would rather be in slytherin with you. Snakes are awesome and I would prefer to share a dorm with you rather than some strangers.”
“CALANON!” Harry called, startling Draco. “Could you make Draco a bed?” Calanon groaned. “Why must Master Harrison insist on sleeping in the same quarters as Master Draco? There are plenty of available rooms.” Despite his protests he snapped his fingers and arranged a comfortable bed for Draco. “Calanon, you know Draco gets anxious in new places. Oh! That's another reason I want to be in slytherin by the way.” Draco flushed in embarrassment but didn’t even attempt to deny it. The last time they tried Draco woke everybody screaming in complete terror. It was actually incredibly impressive considering Harry’s father sleeps on the opposite side of the Cathedral.
“Good night Masters. It is late, go to bed.” Calanon said before he apparated away. “How old do you think Calanon is?” Harry asked Draco. “He would be about as old as the cathedral itself. So, maybe six hundred years or so.” at Harry's confused look Draco continued. “House elves work differently than any other creature. They are born of the magic lingering in Houses, hence their name. Any time a house elf is born they are born as an adult. They immediately start working for the house they were born in and the masters whose magic they were born from, usually pureblood families. It is considered the worst punishment ever to free a house elf, worse than death. They literally need to serve their house, they live to serve their masters. Calanon lives to serve the house of Tristis, he is a sentient part of the house.” Harry stared in shock.
“So Calanon is the magic from the cathedral? He looks so young.” He gasped. Draco nodded “If your father were to stop hosting parties then the cathedral would start running out of magic and your house elf would begin to age. Neglecting your house would be neglecting your house elves, or in your case, oddly enough, elf.” Harry nodded in understanding. He always finds something new to learn about the magical world. He can never get enough of it.
Draco jumped off of Harry's bed and ran to his own. “Good night!” He exclaimed as he curled up into his blankets, his back turned to Harry. “Good night, Draco.” Harry whispered back.
-
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July 31, Harry’s official birthday, 1991 Diagon Alley.
“Harrison, Draco will join us shortly. I believe his father is dragging him around gringotts at the moment. Until then we will grab your books.” Snape sighed. Harry knew that he was hoping for this trip to be fast, it was too hot for a vampire to stay outside for too long. He was at risk of passing out and couldn’t drink blood in public as it was far too risky. Many wizards hated what they considered ‘half-breeds’ or beings that somewhat resemble humans but are most definitely not. Those being werewolves, goblins, centaurs, vampires, and so on.
They headed to the nearest store, a small looking shop with books displayed in the window and a large hand made sign with the words Flourish and Blotts painted in big blue letters. Before they could grab the handle to enter the shop the door flung open. An obviously muggle couple and a bushy haired girl, their daughter most likely, nearly ran into them. The girl was clearly struggling as she stumbled after her parents. Her vision was blocked by a large stack of books. Snape rolled his eyes in disapproval at their carelessness but moved out of the way for them and tapped his wand on the stack of books to lighten them for her.
“Ah! Hello. New Hogwarts student? The books for first years are on that shelf right there.” a kind faced man greeted them excitedly over the shoulder of a very angry customer.
Severus walked over the various books on display and began to browse through them while harry studied the store curiously. He had never been in a bookstore before, always opting to allow his father to get what he needed for him. There seemed to be an endless number of books, towering floor to ceiling and creating various complex pathways throughout the shop. Many books flew overhead, flapping like strange square birds.
As he was watching two particularly large books start fighting with each other, launching scraps of paper they tore out of their own pages, the bell chimed and a familiar set of footsteps followed by a voice he could recognize anywhere quickly approached him.
“I thought I would die if I didn’t get to see you again soon. I don’t think I could last another day in that boring old manor.” Draco flung his hand over his face acting like he was about to faint. He hugged Harry excitedly and dragged him over to Snape. “Hi Sev! Mother is talking to the wandmaker and Father said he had some ‘very important’ errands to run.” He made air quotes with his fingers.
Snape nodded in acknowledgment. “Did you already get your books?” Draco rolled his eyes as an answer. Harry could tell he was silently complaining about how his father probably wanted his books made of some nonsense overpriced material. “Mmm, well then. Allow me to purchase this and we’ll get you fitted for your robes at Madam Malkin’s.”
Snape quickly paid for the book and rushed them to the next shop grumbling about the sun and how he should have brought an umbrella quietly.
“Ah! Harrison, Draco, it’s been awhile since we last got you fitted. I’m sure you’ve grown quite a bit since then. You know the routine boys, up up!” Madam ushered them onto the nearby stools and her supplies came rushing over to measure excitedly. She told them that her supplies love regulars.
“So, do you think if I beg enough they’ll let me bring a broom? I’ve been eyeing that new model that came out recently and I think I’ll bully father into buying it for me.” Draco said casually rolling his eyes, a habit he picked up from his mother. “I mean honestly. I really think it's quite stupid that they don’t allow first years to bring their own brooms.” He mumbled mostly to himself.
Harry couldn’t help but shake his head in solemn agreement. Not being allowed to fly was going to be the end of him.
“Alright boys, I’ll have your robes shipped. See you later.” Madam shooed them outside where Snape was waiting. She was a very pushy woman and never allowed anyone to stay in her shop longer than was necessary.
“Well then, I suppose you should head over to Ollivanders. Like your father, Draco, I have business. I’ll be back soon. The shop is that way.” Snape pointed towards the shop and handed them both a sack of gold before rushing off, his cloak swishing dramatically behind him. Harry thought he was going to buy an umbrella and was probably just embarrassed.
Draco and Harry shared a bewildered look for a moment. “I’ve been waiting for this all day!” Draco suddenly shouted. He grabbed Harry's arm and ran towards the store. Harry stumbled clumsily after him, nearly falling over a very angry cat.
The shop didn’t look any special, in fact it looked quite boring. If it wasn’t for the sign they would have probably never found it. It was a simple wooden structure, a singular wand was on display in the window, the store's name was just above the door in simple black lettering. Draco entered the shop, still dragging Harry by the wrist.
The inside was far larger than Harry had expected. The air was stale and dusty, little boxes lined every wall and seemed to go on forever behind the desk. Harry’s magic hummed in anticipation. He could see the dust floating in the air from the setting sun's soft light. They must have been shopping for far longer than Harry had thought.
“Ah! Yes, I have been waiting for your arrival for a long time. It feels like just yesterday your parents were here for their wands.” An old man said as he maneuvered himself around the many boxes awkwardly. “Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy. We most often use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard’s wand.” The man said with a wink. “Who wants to go first?” Draco shoved Harry forward.
The man, most likely Ollivander, summoned a tape measure and began measuring Harry's arm. Finger to elbow, Elbow to shoulder, Shoulder to finger, shoulder to foot. He turned around and the tape continued measuring as he looked skeptically at the wands. “That's enough, let's try this one.” he said and the tape measure quickly flew over and began measuring Draco. “Beechwood, dragon heartstring, Nine inches, nice and flexible. Go on, give it a swish!” Harry took the wand and his magic began growling softly.
Harrison swished the wand causing dozens of boxes to explode. Ollivander ran forward and snatched the wand from his hand. “Definitely Not! Try this one.” They went through several more wands, and Ollivander only seemed to get more excited, before he whispered “I wonder…” He took a particularly dusty box off from the shelf. “Eleven inches, Holly, Phoenix feather, swishy. Give this one a go.” He blew the dust off the box and handed the wand to Harry.
Harry barely touched the wand before he stumbled away with a yelp. It felt like he’d been burnt and his magic started screaming at it. “How curious, I thought for sure that would be the one. Hmm.” He stood still for a moment and his milky eyes slowly turned to Draco and back to Harry before they narrowed. “Well, this is definitely a first. We'll have to head to the back. Come along then, you too Mr Malfoy.” The man grinned excitedly and stumbled over various boxes and papers.
Harry and Draco looked at each other silently wondering if they should go. They shrugged their shoulders at the same time. “Might as well, let's go Haz” Draco muttered and followed after the man. They caught up quickly and found Ollivander staring at a large old wooden door. The handle was covered in dust, telling Harry that it had not been used for a long while. Ollivander rested his hand on the door and slammed his shoulder into it. He struggled but managed to finally get the door open with a loud screech.
The room, unlike the rest of the shop, was incredibly organized. Every box was labeled and lining a massive shelf covering all four walls. The man ran over to the wands and carefully observed them before reaching out with an excited “aha!” and grabbing two boxes that sat together.
“I once had a twin brother, his name was Erik. He was an amazing wand maker and had a unique fascination with the uses of various magical creatures and wand woods. These two wands were made by him over forty years ago. They’ve been waiting for their masters for a long time.” Ollivander said, his eyes distant as he reminisced over his brother.
Harry and Draco carefully took the wands out of their boxes. Harry’s magic purred excitedly, the wand humming back. The wand was a deep crimson red and undeniably beautiful. Draco’s was a blue and gray color. Harry thought its elegance suited him perfectly. Draco looked over at Harry and nodded. They swished their wands and a beautiful shower of sparkles, like dozens of miniature fireworks, came out of them. Ollivander gasped quietly.
“Bloodwood, basilisk fang core, eleven inches, slightly swishy” He pointed at Harry “And blue mahoe, basilisk fang from the same basilisk, ten inches, hard” He pointed at Draco. “These are one of a kind wands boys. Although all wands may be one of a kind these particular wands are of unique origins. A special wood and core combination. You will be great wizards children.” The man approached Harry, his long finger pressing against where his scar would be if not for his fathers glamour. Harry didn’t even question how this strange man had known who he was. He hadn’t even thought to. “The man who gave you this scar was a great man. Terrible yes, but great. Let's go, I do believe your fathers are here.”