The Boy Between the Bookshelves
Nico Di Angelo is about to place the last card atop his mythomagic pyramid when he receives his Hogwarts letter.
His hands are shaky at best, a common trait among excitable 11 year olds. Decidedly steadying his hand, he can barely contain his smile at the fact that he’s about to finish one of these pyramids without Bianca’s help for the first time. Older, wiser, and calmer than he, Bianca brings a quiet determination to any of his many, many projects, despite the fact that she could almost always have something better to do. Nico loves his sister.
The card in his hand is an Apollo card (+30 health, 2000 defense), and it glints mockingly as he tries to balance it atop his unstable pile. He was lucky to get a shiny Apollo card, having to trade two Heracles and one Polyphemus to a kid during recess. It was so totally worth it though. A shiny Apollo has several special moves, unleashing an array of deadly archery tactics as well as double healing if up against any Titans. Plus, it looks really cool. Nico likes how fitting it is for the god of light to constantly be reflecting it, even if it does hurt his eyes after a while.
Finally, finally, he thinks that he’s balanced it just right. It’s only as he’s beginning to step back and admire his tower that a tawny barn owl swoops in through the open living room window, effectively destroying his temple in one calculated whoosh of soft summer air. He lets out a cry of dismay. His afternoon’s work was ruined! He hadn’t even gotten a chance to show Bianca! But his thoughts are distracted as he focusses on the creature in front of him.
The bird has large, calculating amber eyes. Its feathers are ruffled haughtily, as if it were an offended woman drawing her hand to her chest in disgust. It is probably very hard to show emotion in the face of an owl, but Nico can clearly see in the way it stares right through him the message it is trying to get across: I’m important. Pay attention to me. That is when Nico finally notices the letter attached firmly to the owl’s leg.
Message by owl is not new to him. He has frequently seen Bianca use them to write to some of her school friends, as there is an owl that tends to stay in their backyard that she will sometimes call for a delivery. His father occasionally uses them for business transactions, but Hayden Pluton also believes that ordinary Muggle ways of communication are popular for a reason, and has no problem using them as such. It was never something out of the ordinary for him. He had never before thought about the strange things that happened in his family until the first time he went over to a friend’s house after school one day, and had to be firmly reminded by his father to not let anything slip about the oddities of their lives.
Nico’s father is a wizard. He grew up watching his father create bubbles from his wand for him to pop, to hearing pots and pans clatter and clank to prepare breakfast while they were still in bed, to looking forward to creative expeditions of manufactured wand sparks on Bonfire Night. Nico had grown up in a fantastical world of magic and mystery, and magic and mystery just so happened to be the things that Nico liked best of all. However, Nico’s mother was a Muggle. She had not grown up with such ideas. And while she loved fiction and adventure as much as anyone, it had definitely taken her some time to come to terms with the entirety of another world just beyond her view. She had met Nico’s father while he was on a diplomatic conference for the Department of International Magical Cooperation, where he worked. They had run into each other in a restaurant in the middle of the night, the only two there, and were immediately taken with each other. After they had been seeing each other for seven months, he had told her he was a wizard. She was, as was to be expected, completely shocked. Maria Di Angelo was a strong independent woman, who had always been able to hold her own, and Hayden Pluton was a match for her to a tee. It took a lot to shake her. Eventually, they were able to come to terms with each other. They managed to create a balanced lifestyle, between Muggle and magic. Hayden became a part time Ministry of Magic worker, part time funeral home owner. Maria Di Angelo, who kept her maiden name, was an affluent chef at the Italian restaurant they lived 10 minutes away from. They raised three children, two of them their own, and one adopted child who had run away from an abusive home and had been found by Maria in her restaurant. Hazel may not have been their child, but they treated her as such. She fit into their mismatched family perfectly- A magic father, a non-magic mother, one half-magic child, one supposedly non-magic child, and one soon-to-be-determined-whether-he-was-magic-child.
The tricky thing about half-Muggle-half-Magic relationships is that it is always unsure whether or not the children they have will be given magic traits or not. Bianca had shown signs of magic at an early age, when she suddenly made the television turn orange in her excitement of her favorite show being shown. Hazel was presumed to come from non-magic descent, but Nico had a strange feeling that even so, she might just turn out to be Muggleborn. Try as she might to deny it, he could have sworn he saw her levitating one of her Legos the other day when he came into her room. But as she was a year younger than him, it would be up to the day when she would either receive her Hogwarts acceptance letter or not. That was the only way to truly tell you were magic, in Nico’s opinion.
Then there was the curious case of Nico Di Angelo. Nico had never shown any magical power, even though of the three children, it was he who was obsessed with all things mystical and fantastic. It was why he was so drawn to Greek mythology, begging for every new card set and figurine that was released. He drowned himself in myths and legends and lore, and despite it all, despite how hard he tried, he had never been able to conjure even a measly spark from his fingertips. It hurt him to no end, the thought that he might never go to Hogwarts. He had heard so many wonderful stories, and to know that he might be denied that because of something he couldn’t help settled in his stomach like stone.
But.
Here it was. A letter, crinkled and yellow like it had aged with him, with shiny, elegant green letters that spelled out:
Mr. N. Di Angelo
The Eastern Bedroom
57, Eubuleus Drive,
Amplehaven,
Berkshire.
His fingers trembled now, as he untied the twine from the owl’s leg, almost as much as they had when he had been building his card castle. That excited energy had now leaked into energy that was half excited, and half very, very scared. This letter held his entire future within that wilting envelope. He suddenly doubted everything he knew. Did a letter mean he had been accepted? Did they send letters to those of wizarding families who had non magic children, to inform them that their children would not be attending? He couldn’t open it. He just couldn’t. As soon as the letter was freed and the owl was safely on its way, Nico sprinted as fast as he could to Bianca’s room, threw the door open without knocking, and shut it loudly behind him.
He was breathing so hard he felt dizzy, and sweat was beginning to form on his face so quickly that his face felt feverishly hot and at the same time ice cold. Bianca looked up from the book she was reading at the slam of the door as if to scold him, but stopped midway through his name at the sight of his face. Her book was quickly abandoned.
“Nico, what’s wrong? Has something happened? Are you alright?” Her voice was concerned and full of worry. Nico could not speak. His throat seemed to have stopped working.
He wordlessly climbed into her bed, and pulled his knees up to his chin before handing her the crumbly letter. Her face lit up at the sight of it. Her green eyes flashed excitedly to Nico’s scared dark brown ones, and her smile threatened to eat up her whole face.
“Neeks, this is great! Oh my gosh, you’ve been accepted! You get to come with me this year!” Voice risen with joy, she was bouncing happily and looking at the letter in her hands. She dragged Nico into a violent hug. Nico was still unresponsive, but was still given small comfort at how happy Bianca was. She noticed his impassiveness very quickly.
What’s wrong? This is great news! You’ll finally get to come to Hogwarts! I promise, it’s everything you’ve ever dreamed of. The classes are fun and informative and the teachers are so welcoming and the food is spectacular and the castle is beautiful oh wow Nico you should see it in the winter it’s absolutely gorgeous and-“
Nico cut her off in a tiny voice, gazing at his knees. “What if it isn’t an acceptance letter? What if this is them telling me I can’t go because I’m not magic enough?”
“Hey, look at me.” Nico turned his eyes to meet her. She was still grinning, but her tone was serious. “I know you’re worried about not having enough magic, but I promise you that you have everything that it takes to be great, whether you’re a wizard or not. No matter what it says on this letter, you’re still the best. But I’m willing to bet you, you’re about to become Hogwarts newest student.”
He felt comfort rise up in him like a warm bath sloshing over the sides of a tub. Bianca believed in him. He could do this. He set his mouth determinedly, and nodded once at her. Then he said, “But what if? If I’m not a wizard, doesn’t all the magic end here?”
Bianca looked at him sympathetically, her eyes still smiling. “Well here, let’s open it right now and find out. If you get in to Hogwarts, you owe me your desert tonight. If you don’t get in, I’ll smuggle you in my trunk. Deal?” Nico hiccupped a little, and smiled sideways at her. He shook her hand.
“Deal. Can we open it together?”
“Of course, brother mine.”
Gingerly, they both slowly ran their fingers underneath the overlapping flap from the outer edge in, their fingers meeting at the center where the red wax seal glared at them like a stop sign. They pried it up with stubby fingers, and lifted out the first folded paper inside. Nico hands were trembling again. He unfolded it with Bianca, but his eyes were closed. He couldn’t look. He hiccupped once more.
Bianca noticed his trepidation, and softly undid the last fold. In a soft, clear voice, she read aloud:
Dear Mr. Di Angelo,
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.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Nico felt the weight lift off of his stomach, the weight he had carried in him since the moment he became aware of his apparent lack of magic. He felt lighter than a feather, lighter than a ray of sunshine, lighter than air. The loud whoop he let out was followed by several more of its kind, and he tackle hugged Bianca to the bed. Then he got up and started skipping around the room, chanting at the top of his lungs Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, Teach us something please. Rapid footsteps were heard racing down the hall, and the door was flung open once more.
Hazel stood in the doorway, her cinnamon colored hair a curly mess around her face, half braided. She surveyed the scene, perplexed. Nico was smiling like he had been told the gods were real, and skipping about the room, while Bianca sat on her polka dotted bedspread, and gazed at him with a goofy, happy smile on her face too. Maria Di Angelo appeared behind Hazel, holding a brush and a dozen hair ties, ready to plead with Hazel to finally let her finish braiding her hair, when she noticed the ruckus as well.
”Well, what have we got here? What’s got you kids in such a happy mood?” She asked, a smile heading for her face as well. These kids were just too cute. Their smiles were contagious.
“Mama, Mama, look! I was accepted! I got my letter and everything!” Nico yelled, grabbing the letter off of the bed and brandishing it in his mother’s face. She bent down and gave him a big hug.
“Nico that’s wonderful! Oh, we must go tell your father, he’ll be so excited! How about you guys join me in the kitchen after I braid Hazel’s hair huh? We can make some cookies to celebrate!”
The children cheered and ran down the stairs to wait. Well, except for Hazel. She still needed the rest of her cornrows to be done. But Nico and Bianca made haste to the kitchen. Nico was still so full of happiness and high off of his acceptance, that he wasn’t even upset when Bianca reminded him that he now owed her his cookie. He couldn’t care less. The price of a single chocolate chip cookie could never measure up to the sweet, sweet victory he had been granted.
***
Cold grey light shone through the crack in Nico’s curtains, landing sharply and unwelcome on his unsuspecting face. He was still fast asleep, not aware that in three minutes time, he would be rudely awoken by Hazel bouncing up on his bed and shaking him conscious. As for now, he was still fast asleep. Unbothered by the dark hair tickling his forehead, he slept peacefully and soundly. In his dreams, he was again visited by what he liked to call the Silver Rabbit. He also liked to call the rabbit Fluffy, but he felt a bit silly doing so. He used to always see Fluffy in his dreams somewhere, most usually just out of his reach. It irked him to no end, that game of cat and mouse (or in this case, boy and bunny). He wanted nothing more than to pet this glowing ball of fluff, to see if he was as soft as he looked. In tonight’s dream, the bunny seemed to have noticed him, and was standing on its hind legs to look at him curiously. Fluffy’s nose twitched. Nico couldn’t move, but he appreciated that for once, the bunny seemed just as mesmerized by him as Nico was of it. He was finally able to slowly stretch out his hand towards it when-
“NICO! Come on lazy bones, get up, get up, get UP! We’re going to Diagon Alley isn’t that exciting! Come ooooooooon, you’ve got to get up!” Hazel yelled at a frequency far too loud and high for 5 in the morning. His alarm clock, as foretold, continued to poke and tickle him until he could finally sit up and rub his eyes. He was upset that he hadn’t been able to finish the dream. He was finally about to pet the Silver Rabbit, only to have it crudely taken from him. But as he looked up at Hazel, meeting her happy golden eyes, he realized he really didn’t mind all that much. He was about to have a far greater adventure.
Bianca was already dressed and at the table by the time Nico made it downstairs. She had a bowl of Lucky Charms in front of her, and she was methodically separating all of the different marshmallows with her spoon. She liked to eat them all in a specific order: first horseshoes, then hearts, then balloons, then clovers, then pots of gold, then rainbows, then shooting stars, and lastly the moons. She liked to save the moons and stars for last. Nico had once tried to tell her that really, they all tasted the same, but Bianca wouldn’t hear it. She said it was the symbolism that counted. Nico wasn’t really sure what marshmallow stars and moons could symbolize, but he left her to her organization in peace.
He poured out his own bowl and listened to his parents talk about the day’s plans.
“So we’ll Floo to the Leaky Cauldron first. Then we should go to Gringotts, because I don’t carry enough pocket money for all the school supplies. We’ll have to get more potions ingredients for Bianca, as well as all the Third Year books. You know I still think I have my copy of Spellman’s Syllabary, if you want to use that instead darling. It has some of my old notes in it, which will make Ancient Runes much easier, I promise.” Hayden smiled at Bianca, who grinned back at him. He took a long swig of coffee before continuing. “Of course, we’ll need to get all of Nico’s things. So that’s Ollivanders, Madam Malkin’s, Flourish and Blotts, Magical Menagerie, Potage’s Cauldron Shop, Slug and Jigger’s Apothocary, and a couple more places that we’ll figure out when I see your list. Nico, have you still got it?”
He swallowed his cereal noisily before pulling the folded up letter out of his back pocket and slid it across the table to his father. Hayden picked it up with large practiced fingers and scanned it quickly. He rattled off several more shops for them to visit, while Maria nodded along, paying close attention to his words. Nico was done listening though. He was too busy thinking about the day that was to come.
He had been to Diagon Alley only once before, 2 years prior when it was Bianca’s turn to get her supplies for first year. His parents had debated whether or not he and Hazel could come, them being at the tender ages of 9 and 8, respectively. They decided that they didn’t want to take any risks however, and with Nico and Hazel not having shown any magical characteristics, Maria had pleaded with Hayden on allowing them to come in the chance that it would be their only opportunity. Nico doesn’t remember everything from the day. He hadn’t been aware enough at the time, being too distracted by certain things for far too long in that mystical alleyway, and he ended up not having enough time to actually check everything out. This was a punishable crime in Nico’s eyes.
He remembered how bright and bustling it was. The cobblestone street was packed with new and interesting sights and smells. Bangs were frequent and to be expected, as were splats, booms, and pows. Sunlight shone directly in between the shops, and if he remembered correctly, there had been a distinct smell of chocolate and licorice when he had first walked in.
He was so grateful that he would be able to go back there, and was even more excited now knowing that it would be he who would be most involved in the process. He was momentarily stunned when he remembered that today would be the day when he would receive his wand. He would officially be a wizard. Oh, if only there were more hours in the day, so that he could have as much time as possible there….
Hayden clapped his hands loudly, once, as if to conclude a long speech. He smiled broadly at his three children sitting across the table from him, all equally engrossed in their respective cereal bowls. When Nico would look back on this day, he would always remember the twinkle in his eye and how despite his beard, his smile was impossible to miss.
“Time to get moving kids! Lots to see, lots to do, and so little time to enjoy it!”
***
It was a bustling time, even at the ungodly hour 6:30 when they arrived. Landing disheveled and sooty in the fireplace of the leaky Cauldron, Nico weakly wiped his face with the edge of his shirt. Gods, he hated Floo travel. It always spun too fast, and it never felt safe. Half of the time he was convinced he was about to fall right out of a random fireplace, or worse, be shot out the top of a chimney. He had never heard of it happening before, but he was not about to take his chances.
They were bedraggled, yes, but there was no way to defuse the pure excitement that hung over them. Hayden led them out the back way and took out his wand. Hazel bounced excitedly by his side. Nico hiccupped.
Bricks shuttled and twisted across each other, grinding against one another with dull, clacking sounds. The magic worked fast, but to Nico it wasn’t quick enough. With every square of the street revealed, he could feel his pulse accelerate. The archway wasn’t even fully finished forming before Nico grabbed Hazel’s hand and ran with her into the street. Surprised yells from their parents followed them, but they didn’t make it far before they were forced to stand still in amazement.
Hayden once told them that this wasn’t what Diagon Alley had looked like in its prime, and that the war seven years ago against Voldemort caused Diagon Alley into a cold, blue, and desolate place where no one ventured unless it was absolutely necessary. But looking at it now, no one would be able to tell.
It was just as Nico remembered. Brightly colored shops stacked upon each other noisily towered around him, in rickety formations that made Nico positive muggles could have never replicated the design. Red and yellow and green and all other colored awnings jutted out into the street, with brightly painted signs advertising cauldrons and robes and one particular shop that seemed dedicated particularly for potions to make someone look beautiful. Witches and wizards bustled down the street. The pathway echoed with laughter and calling voices, of kids who have caught a glimpse of school friends, and of merchants yelling out to customers jovially, trying to convince them to come in. The air still smelled sweet and light, and it made Nico want to follow his nose all the way to that brightly lit ice cream shop that he seemed to remember from last time. Looking past that, at the very end of the road before it diverged, was the large and impressive Gringotts Bank.
Gringotts was smooth, cold, and impressive. It was known to be impenetrable, and it would be very, very foolish for someone to try to break in. Nico still was in awe at the idea that Harry Potter and his friends had managed to not only break in, but they actually escaped on a dragon. Harry Potter, to Nico, was the epitome of cool. He was everything Nico wanted to be while he was growing up. And as his family made their way through the street stumbling around and trying to take everything in, Nico couldn’t help but feel like he was walking on hallowed ground.
Riding in Gringott’s mine cart make Maria Di Angelo very nauseous very quickly, so she opted to stay back and take Hazel to go look at the owls at Eeylopes Owl Emporium. It was just Nico, Bianca, and Hayden who stepped into the mine cart with the grouchy old goblin who had introduced himself as Garnan. The mine cart really was far too small for a grown man and three children (well, two children and one child sized goblin).
“How fast does this thing go?” Nico asked eagerly.
The goblin smiled sickeningly, showing sharp yellow teeth. “Oh, I think you’ll find it goes fast enough.”
Much too soon for Nico to have prepared himself, they took off down the tracks.
Nothing really describes the sensational of travelling through Gringotts. It was similar to riding a roller coaster, except with the knowledge that there are no safety precautions and a minimum of a 500 foot drop at all times. Cave systems, stalactites, and stalagmites whizzed past them as they sped heavily further down, down, down. Nico personally thought the scariest part was when they went swiftly down a hill only to immediately go up a ramp, causing them to fly off the rails and to fill the air with screams of terror. Garnan simply smirked in satisfaction. He probably loved watching customers be scared. Finally they arrived at vault 512. They all shakily clambered out, Bianca holding Hayden’s hand like it was life support. Nico was pretty sure his father was as grateful for that lifeline as she was. It was all Nico could do to refrain from curling up of the sweet, mercifully solid ground. He had never liked the ground as much as he did then. He would have married it if he could. But then Garnan was handing him a lantern so he could unlock the door, and Nico had to leave preparing his vows for another time.
Nico knew they were rich. Well, not exactly rich, but they had never struggled to find the money for things that they wanted. They were very well-to-do. Hayden was from a pure blood family, and had received a small fortune at the passing of his dreadful father. Between him and Nico’s mother, they also straddled three jobs. So Nico was well aware that there would probably be very much in the vault, but it was a completely different thing to see it with his own eyes.
There were mountains of silver, columns of gold, rolling hills of bronze. Nico couldn’t pick his jaw up off the ground. Hayden went around with a business-like air with a small coin sack, picking up specific columns of large gold Galleons, scooping in a few handfuls of shining silver Sickles, and pushing in a small heap of bronze Knuts.
“Wow….” Nico whispered to himself.
On his first journey to Diagon Alley, he had not been permitted to see their vault, as Maria was reluctant to let either of her youngest children onto that death trap of a transportation system. But at the time, Bianca had pleaded and begged, saying that it would make it feel like the magic of her going to Hogwarts was real. And now Nico understood why she had said that. Here, tucked away under miles of stone and streets, was a small fortune from a world Nico had never been allowed to experience. It was mind-blowing. For the first time, it really sunk in. Nico Di Angelo was going to Hogwarts
***
Back on the street, Hayden checked the list. There were still many places to visit.
There was little incident at the other shops that the happy family visited. Hazel was captivated by the rare rocks and minerals at the apothecary. They had to pull Bianca away from staying in Magical Menagerie, where she attempted to use her best puppy dog eyes to get them to adopt an actual puppy. Nico was in awe of the animals too, until one shockingly purple toad stuck out its tongue through the bars, giving Nico a disgustingly sloppy kiss. At Madam Malkins, Nico was fitted with long black robes, and purchased several plain black ties. Madam Malkin herself, a stern but kind old lady who was very hard of hearing, firmly assured him that once he was sorted into a house, the ties would change color accordingly. Nico, disconcerted by how close her face was to his while she said this, thanked her, hiccupped, and then tripped over his stool while rushing away. At last, there was only Flourish and Blotts and Ollivanders to visit.
You might think Flourish and Blotts would be a boring place, but Nico had never seen a bookshop so full of life. It was late afternoon by then, and the crowded street had grown steadily more so, and for once Nico was grateful for his lack of height. He was able to weave his way through the crown at the door, and was then free to gaze around in awe at the surrounding books.
The room, lightly warmly with red and golden light, had cluttered bookshelves facing in from all sides of the room. You couldn’t tell it if it was viewed from the outside, but the walls were completely circular, with a staircase ascending on the right, and a room straight ahead for check out and, of course, more books. Literature was flitting away through the air, conducted by a witch skillfully unloading a box of what appears to be A Lesson in Lycanthropy by Widgeon Magehuff.
“Hey Nico!” Bianca waved him over to where she was standing with the rest of the family. “We’re splitting up the booklist so that we can find them easier. You get to find One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, and A History of Magic. Got it?” Nico nodded. “Great! Let’s make it a race then,” Here Bianca smirked devilishly. “First one back gets the comfy armchair tonight. Deal?”
Nico brightened again. “Deal.”
Bianca looked over at her father, who rolled his eyes slightly and cast a Tempus charm to show that the time was 4:49. At 4:50, they sprinted in opposite directions, clambering to find their books first.
Nico located the Standard Book of Spells incredibly quickly. He figured that since it was required for all years of Hogwarts students, there would probably be an entire section to it. He turned out to be correct. Squirming between several of the taller and older students, he grabbed the thick, shiny green book. One down.
He found the second book on the far side of the store, after several minutes of frantic dashing about, scattering a group of teens chatting excitedly about their summer holidays. Scanning the wall labeled “History”, an entire shelf was dedicated to the book by Bathilda Bagshot. Now carrying two of his books, he felt sure that he must be doing better than Bianca, until he saw her rushing by, carrying two of her books as well. Oh, it was on, now.
Nico strode through the shelves quickly, searching for the Herbology section, when he eventually found it tucked away in the corner of the room (well, it wasn’t really a corner. The room was circular). The shelf was completely full of Herbology books for all ages and levels of academics. And despite how high on his tippy toes that he stretched, he just couldn’t reach One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. It was just beyond where his fingertips ended. He jumped a little. Alas, it was not enough. He almost called it quits when suddenly a tanned hand reached out from behind him, grabbing two copies of the book. Nico spun around quickly, and came face to face with a very blond boy.
The boy held out the book to him. Nico took it, of course.
“Uh, thank you. I definitely couldn’t have reached that on my own.” Nico offered the boy a big smile.
The boy smiled back, quick and blindingly, and for a moment Nico was stunned. He didn’t really know why, but for some reason his stomach dropped suddenly and his chest felt full. The blond was taller than him, yes, but they looked to be about the same age. He was probably a first year as well, judging by his own copy of the book. His eyes were blue. He had dimples. Nico was confused.
“Nico! I found mine! I beat you!” His name being called caused him to whip his head around. He caught sight of Bianca, walking towards him from across the room, holding her three books proudly to her chest. Nico turned back.
“I’m Nico by the way what’s your na-“
But the boy was gone.
Nico felt Bianca stand beside him.
“Who were you talking to?” She asked.
“Oh, you know,” He said distractedly. “No one.”
“Well, I still found all of my books first, so I’m pretty sure I won the bet.”
“No way! I definitely had mine before you, I just hadn’t found you yet.”
“Sure,” she teased, a light, happy grin on her face. “Sure.”
They continued their light-hearted bickering all the way back to their family, and through the checkout line. By the time they exited out into the brightly lit road, the encounter with the boy between the bookshelves was at the back of Nico’s mind.
***
The sun was setting over the edge of the rooftops, bathing the street in warm orange light on one side, with night creeping over on the other. A soft breeze strode through the street, mussing up the hair of shopping and snatching bags out of loose hands. The Di Angelo family stood in front of their final stop of the day, all gazing in silence at the name above the old, creaking door: Ollivanders.
Nico felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up into his father’s crinkled, dark eyes, so like his own.
“You ready?” he asked.
Nico nodded.
They walked inside.
Nico’s first impression of the famous wand shop was that it was very, very old. The lighting was dark, only a couple dripping candles providing visibility, but it was still easy to see the rows upon rows of cluttered shelves, with long thin boxes stacked haphazardly on top of each other. An old, wizened man sat behind a desk that looked about as frail as he was. He was writing something, scratching distractedly with a feather quill. He didn’t seem to realize that there was no more ink on the end of the pen. Looking up and spotting the family wavering at the doorway, he sprung up with remarkable agility, coming over to introduce himself.
“Hello, hello all. I am Ollivander. Ah! You are the Di Angelo’s, are you not? I remember your wand, Hayden, very well. Yew, with unicorn hair, 12 inches, incredibly stiff. And Bianca! Dogwood with dragon’s heartstring, an odd combination. 11 and a half inches, pleasantly springy.” He smiled widely, seemingly in good spirits. His eyes were disturbingly pale, almost white. They reminded Nico of the full moon.
“And who have we here? You’re here to get a wand, surely.”
Nico swallowed hard. “I’m Nico. A-and yes.”
Ollivander beamed and straightened up, his bones creaking horribly as he did so. “Wonderful! Please step over here so I can take measurements.”
Nico warily followed him over to the carpet as his family stayed by the door. Making eye contact with Bianca from across the store, he widened his eyes slightly to convey his panic. She just shot him two thumbs up and smiled widely. An old, worn tape measure suddenly zipped around him, and Nico flinched violently as it attempted to measure the distance between his eyes. Ollivander studied him closely.
“Now, which is your wand arm?”
Nico raised his left slightly, and answered as such. Ollivander nodded, and turned towards the back of the store.
“Thomas! Could you come here, please?”
A young man of about 18 came walking between the shelves, ducking a light brown head of hair slightly when passing below a low hanging chandelier. He was carrying a long scroll of parchment, with several wand boxes under his arm. He smiled warmly, blue eyes twinkling, at the family before focusing on Ollivander.
“Yes, sir?”
“Could you please go to the left handed section and find boxes 2213, 3724 and 1976 for this young man?” The boy, Thomas, nodded and jotted the numbers down on the parchment before retreating back into the shelves.
Ollivander turned back to the inquisitive family. “That is my great-nephew, Thomas Ollivander. I am planning on retiring soon, but I would rather like to keep the family business alive. Thomas has shown great proficiency in wandlore and wandmaking. He is turning into a fine young man, isn’t he?” Here he winked at Nico. Confused, Nico looked back to see if the wink was meant for someone else. There was no one else behind him.
“Ah, here we are,” Thomas returned carrying three old, dusty boxes. Ollivander lifted the top of one with practiced hands and held it out to Nico. He took it, his heart pounding in his throat, suddenly full of anxiety once more.
“Now, that is English Oak, with dragon heartstring, 11 inches and reasonably swishy. Go on, give it a wave.”
Nico looked at it. It felt clunky and wrong to his fingers but he gave it a small wave anyway. A paper nearby caught on fire, and Ollivander shook his head frantically, motioning for him to put it down. Nico was more than happy to comply. Ollivander held another out to him.
“This one, here, is a curious one. Black Walnut with a phoenix feather, 10 and half inches, pliable. This one is particularly attuned to self-conflict, so you have to be sure to be careful in-“But the moment that the wood hit Nico’s fingers Ollivander visibly recoiled, drawing the wand back. Nico’s heart pounded frantically. Had he done something wrong? Maybe he wasn’t even magic. Maybe Ollivander could sense the absence of it in his soul.
But Ollivander just smiled at him, a half sad, and half encouraging smile. While Thomas handed Nico a third wand, Ollivander himself shuffled down the dim shelves in search for a particular wand.
He came back, carrying yet another dusty old box, one that looked exactly like all of the other wand boxes piled on the table. Ollivander said nothing, and simply held it out to Nico.
The wood fit perfectly in his hand, and warmth spread throughout his fingertips as he gazed, shocked, at the wand. It was straight, reasonably long, and light brown, with and intricate engraving on the handle that Nico would have liked to investigate further. He swished the wand lightly through the air, purple sparks emanating frantically from the end. Everyone in the store clapped excitedly and Hazel and Bianca immediately rushed over to come see it up close.
“Pine, Dragon Heartstring. 10 and ¾ inches, surprisingly supple. I’m sure it will work quite well for you, Mr. Di Angelo. Use it well. That’ll be seven Galleons.”
***
That night, Nico laid in bed thoroughly exhausted by the day’s happenings, but also immensely pleased. Soft light from the lamp outside his window filtered through the curtains, illuminating the packages from their earlier escapades. His father had allowed Nico to keep his books and such with him, but had insisted on keeping his wand in his office with Bianca’s, where it would stay until September first. He was afraid that Nico would fall into temptation and attempt to do magic without proper training. Nico ached to be away from his connection to the magic world, but agreed that is given easy access, he probably would have fallen prey to that temptation. Oh well.
He slumped further down in his pillows, rolling to one side so the he could stare contemplatively at the wall, and muse over everything that has happened. It had been a wonderful day. Nico wouldn’t have traded a single moment of it away. He fell asleep dreaming of Hogwarts, and of the adventures he was sure to have there.
Nico dreamed of the Silver Rabbit once again, but this time it was conjured up by a laughing boy with hair like sunshine. Dream Nico felt that same rush in his stomach, like a bird trying to desperately flap its wings. Nico awoke, and then fell unconscious once more. By the time he rose the next morning, he had no recollection of the dream involving the boy between the bookshelves.