The wand maker, the goblin and the train
After Jim left the store with his owl in hand he headed over to the wand shop to meet up with Pike. Enterprise was hooting happily at Jim from her cage. He had ended up giving the owl the same name as his dads old car, that way he felt like he was taking a bit of his father with him to Hogwarts.
He quickly shuffled into the store where Pike and the owner were talking in hushed voices. Pike noticed him coming in and handed over some coins to the owner and turned to Jim.
"I've already paid for the wand, which ever one you end up getting. So when your done just head to the bank at the end of the alley so we can go ahead and get whatever money you'll need out of the bank." He winked at Jim before sliding out the door and onto the busy street.
Jim quietly turned to the man that must be Mr. Olivander. The man stared at Jim for a moment before a smile broke his face.
"Mr. Kirk! Pleasure to meet you. As Pike has said he already paid for the wand so now all we have to do is let it pick you out."
Jim didn't ask him what he meant as the man bounced around the room looking into little boxes. He finally picked one and brought it up for Jim's inspection.
Jim gently took the piece of wood out and ran his fingers over it. The grip was soft and the wand light weight.
"Go on." Olivander said. "Give it a flick."
Jim copied Olivanders motions and suddenly there was a frightening gust of wind in the store taut almost knocked everything off its perch. Enterprise hooted angrily from her perch in her cage.
"Maybe not that one." Olivander said taking the wand back and going for another one.
He handed it over to Jim and this time when he flicked his wrist some nearby parchment caught on fire.
This went on for a few more moments before Olivanders seemed to be getting frustrated. He but his lip in though moving to the back of the store and ducking down low.
"I wonder...." He mumbled to himself before finally snatching the box and bringing it up to Jim with a strange look on his face. "Try this one." He says quietly. "There was only two ever made...."
It wasnt the most beautiful wand he had ever seen but it still drew him in. The ended was twirled nicely and the grip felt amazing in his hand. He gave his wrist a quick flick and a feather moved gently on the table.
Olivander gasped and Jim looked up at him quickly. "My boy do you know anything about this wand?" When Jim shook his head no Olivander held out his hand for the wand.
"As I said there are only two in existence. It is a very hard wand to make seeing that the properties of the Holly and the phoenix feather clash, but finally put together makes the most incredible wand. I say incredible because there are none that I know of to be its equal."
Olivander tucked it inside its box and handed it back to Jim. "The brother to that wand in your hand has done numerous misdeeds at the hands of its owner. It has killed many people……including your father."
Jim looked up sharply at that. Olivander made a clucking noise. “I knew that Pike wouldn’t have told you yet. He would want to protect you from all the details but with you being who you are they are bound to come out sooner than later.”
"And who exactly do you think I am Mr. Olivander?"
"You are the boy who lived, Mr. Kirk. While that wand cut down everyone in its path, including your father, you were the only one to ever survive under its magic."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was fuming as he walked down the alley towards the bank. Pike new all this stuff about him but didn't tell him? Why?
He slowly walked up long, white stairs to a set of bronze doors that were easily bigger than he was. He pushed them open slowly and walked into the hallway leading to another door. Above the door was some sort of poem:
Enter, stranger, but take heed Of what awaits the sin of greed For those who take, but do not earn, Must pay most dearly in their turn. So if you seek beneath our floors A treasure that was never yours, Thief, you have been warned, beware Of finding more than treasure there.
Weird, Jim thought. The door opened up to a much larger room with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and long tables going around the length of the room.
Jim blinked, looking at the strange creatures behind the counter. They had long noses that came down into a point and ears that were long and pointed too. They seemed like they were smaller than a normal person and when one opened its mouth he could see razor sharp teeth. There was something about their eyes too. Strange endless pools of black that seemed to sear into him when one would look up at him as he moved by.
He quickly strode up to where Pike was discussing something with a creature at the end of all the tables. This one must be the ring leader or something. For once in his life he stood silently, waiting to be noticed instead of making his presence known. Finally Pike looked down and saw him.
"Ah Jim. Good your here." He turned back to the creature, pulling a key from his pocket. "Jim Kirk would like to access his vault and make a withdraw."
The creature sneered down at him before taking the key up in his sharpened fingers. "Very well."
It quickly lead them down the hall and towards another creature like them standing on a cart on some tracks. On the way Jim was whispering to Pike about what they were.
"Goblins, Jim. Clever but not really friendly. Try not to piss them off."
They quickly hopped onto the cart which started moving into open air. It made Jim a little sick at first until he realized it was completely safe and sort of like a slow roller coaster. They finally came to stop in front of a vault and the small goblin called out its number before hopping off the cart and asking for the lamp. Upon reaching the door it called out for the key.
There was more gold behind that door than Jim knew what to do with.
"T-thats all mine?" He asked, looking up at Pike and not being able to hide his shock.
"Yup. Its from your mom and dad. We had it stored away until you would be needing it." He went forward to collect a pouch full of gold and then hand it over to Jim. "This should do you for the rest of the school year. If you need more we can always send someone."
They hoped back onto the cart and went to one more vault. Jim asked what was in it and Pike just said something for the school before picking it up and putting it in his pocket. They quickly left after that. heading out to get some food before Jim would be off to board the train.
In the middle of food Pike tried to explain the train situation to him.
"So what your saying is that I have to run into a brick wall to be able to board a train." Jim couldn't help looking skeptical.
Pike sighed. "The wall is magic and you run right through it and end up on platform nine and three-quarters. Once there you will be able to tell one of the attendants your name and he will help you load your stuff on the train and mark you off as accounted for."
"But running into a wall....wont someone notice?"
"Nobody really notices much but even if they did theres magic to misdirect them or make them not realize what they saw."
'Well thats cool I guess. Never been on a train before."
"Im sure that theres lots that you haven't been able to do before but your going to get to now, Jim. The world has opened up for you. Just wait and see."