Marius Black
Marius knew that something was wrong when Father brought him to Gringotts. Father brought Pollux to Gringotts so that Pollux would learn how to deal with the goblins and manage the family finances, Pollux was the heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Marius was the spare.
The Black Family vault was found at the very heart of Gringotts where only the wealthiest and oldest families had vaults. It was filled with the treasures hoarded away by generations of Blacks. Armour, weapons, jewellery, grimoires, jewels, tiaras and crowns, skins of long dead creatures and potions in bejewelled flasks. The stone floor was carpeted in deep purple with elaborate golden swirls that made Marius dizzy.
Father marched through the treasure and over to a wooden chest and with carved, claw feet. He threw open the lid and beckoned imperiously. In his rush, Marius knocked over a shelf of gold goblets that fell to the floor with a muffled clunk. Father glared at him and Marius stammered out an apology. The chest was full of wands of all different lengths and woods, old and chipped, polished and gleaming, with gemstones set in the handles and runes carved in the wood. Father picked up a plain reddish wand and handed it to Marius. "Give it a wave."
A wand. He was being handed a wand. He wasn't a squib like Pollux whispered when no adults were around to hear. He was going to have a wand before even Cassiopeia. Ha! That would show them! Squib, indeed. His hand closed on the handle and… nothing. No sparks, no warmth, no light, no tingly magic. Nothing but the smooth, worn handle of the wand. Marius felt tears prick his eyes.
He tried every single wand in the magically expanded chest. Nothing. They might as well have all been firewood. His hopes of the last two hours came crashing down around him. He was a squib, like Pollux whispered. A good-for-nothing stain on the honor of the Black Family. It was just like his family to do this. Give him hope, and then take it all away and leave him, an empty husk. An eggshell with the egg drained out. Cracked, brittle and worthless.
Father said nothing while Marius wept silently. The goblin sneered at him and he held in his hiccups and hid his face behind his hair. And he said nothing as he left Marius on the doorstep of No. 6, Pendragon Alley and disapparated.