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Chapter 12 (Talismans and The Sorting Hat), Chapter 13 (First Week, Talisman, and Snakes), Chapter 14 (New Friends and A Troll), Chapter 15 (A Thunder Bird), Chapter 16 (A Voice in the Magic), Chapter 17 (Can A Man still be brave if he's Afraid?), Chapter 18 (The Magizoologist's Visit), Chapter 19 (The Impossible Familiar), and Chapter 20 (Do you want to be a Magizoologist?) are already available for Patrons.
'Loretta, it's good to see you again.' Harry greeted her excitedly. This time, she was wearing a green gown, a crown braid on her head, and sitting on the ground. The golden flowers around them glittered, and Azash rested his head on her lap, her slender fingers patting his head.
"How delightful is to see thee young wizard. Come here." Loretta spoke smoothly; her voice felt like she was singing to him. Harry felt his eyes heavy momentarily before walking up to her and sitting beside her. His face flushed once again as he tried to look away from her. She was a beautiful woman, after all, and he tried hard not to be disrespectful towards her. Lady Andromeda had taught him that he should be respectful towards women unless they have no manners.
Harry watched as she grabbed a golden flower by its head, bringing it to her nose before saying something that Harry understood a little. He watched as the golden petals crumbled into golden dust, shimmering in the sunlight, that swirled around in the air before coming together, forming a rune letter, glowing with a soft golden light, on her palm.
"When I walked this earth, I taught everyone an important lesson, Harry. Runes are the structure of Magic, it can explain it, and make it work. My brother created the first wand in the world with the help of runes."
This revelation struck Harry. He knew from Tonks and Ted that Runes were important. They were a tough thing to learn, but according to them, they were one of the most important branches of magic, in the same category as spells, charms, and even curse-breaking. Legendary artifacts around the world were created with the help of runes, and even Floo Networks were said to have been created with the help of runes. This knowledge sparked a deep curiosity in Harry, a desire to understand more about these intricate symbols that held such power.
'He had read about many forms of magic, but many of them were no longer taught in the United Kingdom or even in general in the entire world,' Harry pondered. 'Necromancy, Dark Rituals, and many spells that were considered dark arts. This also included the study of Spirit Magic, as Tonks tended to call it, saying there was a way to use ghosts and cast magic that could affect both ghosts and humans. What secrets did these forbidden magics hold?'
"Runes make broomsticks fly. They use the magic inside you, there are plenty of examples, like this one." Loretta reached into a pocket, pulling out what seemed like a small round mirror with a golden frame around it that was designed to look like flower petals with a Nundu head at the top. She handed the mirror to Harry.
He looked at it, and his own eyes stared back at him; he didn't understand what he was supposed to do. "Is just my reflection." Harry said, looking back at her, ready to hand the mirror over to her, but she smiled gently, stroking his dark hair.
"No, look again."
Harry did so and looked back at the mirror. Once again, his face stared back at him in the mirror. For a moment, nothing changed when the mirror's surface rippled like water. The image of him went blurry, but as the ripples faded away, his face looked back at him. It had changed; half of his right face was his own but with a green hue in his emerald eyes.
The other half of his face was someone else, a face he had never seen before; this second half had dark eyes and dark hair like a crow, but that wasn't all the mirror showed him. The face that was still his slowly changed; the dark orb in the center of his eye turned slit like that of a snake, while the other unknown face, his eyes turned red, and his skin paled like milk.
"Who is he?" Harry asked, feeling his heartbeat in his throat. He felt like he had seen him before, but he couldn't remember ever seeing this person in his life.
"That part of thee is better to be kept hidden, young wizard." Harry didn't like that she was so cryptic about this; why not tell him everything right now?
"Harry. Do thee have a wand?"
"No, but my birthday is three weeks later, so I'm sure I will get my wand when I buy things for my school year." Loretta nodded thoughtfully before once again speaking in the language. Her hand appeared as if she was holding something with it when a bright golden light appeared, and a wand materialized, hovering above her hand before gently floating down until she had it in her grasp.
"I thought you didn't use wands, Miss Loretta?" Harry asked, confused while looking at the wand. It appeared much different than any other wand he had ever seen. A golden tip spread across the silver wand in golden threads, with red rune marks across its surface as if they were carved into the wand with hot metal; the wand was nine inches long.
"Voice Magic is powerful on its own, young wizard, but with wands, you can enhance it and create spells that will change the world," Loretta said smoothly before aiming her wand towards the ground; a golden light flew out of the tip and hit the ground, creating a small golden puddle. A golden flower slowly grew out of it. Once it was fully grown, the golden puddle disappeared.
"You can control wildlife?!" Harry exclaimed, astonished, his mind racing with thoughts. His army of questions rose in his mind, and he was ready to ask all of them when Loretta giggled at his cute expression.
"No. I cannot control life, Harry Potter. Magic is powerful, but it cannot create life from nothing. That's impossible. Even when you change something into something else, that thing will change back into its original form. The user's magic forces it to follow a rule set by the magic, but its real elements can never be changed. Even if you change a matchbox into a needle, its core elements are still that of a matchbox, the moment the magic inside the needle runs out, it will turn back into a matchbox, because magic cannot force something to change it's core. Take flying broomsticks, if you remove the Runes and all the enchantments that are used on it. Even the best flying broomstick will turn back into an ordinary broomstick with no magic capapbilities."
Harry understood what she meant. He wondered how she knew he had changed a matchbox into a needle; he was sure he had never told her.
"But there's something you should know about thy companion and thy wand. The most rare wands in the world have a Nundu core, but the core of a dead Nundu is much weaker than one alive. For thy wand to serve thee, thee need thy companion's core.
"I will not harm, Itisa. Never." Harry shouted in sudden anger, moving away from her and looking at her horrified. He couldn't understand why she would want him to harm her. She was his companion.
"I would have never wanted thee to harm her, and she will not be harmed. But you need something from her to use it in your wand. I have a feeling that your wand will not suit you that well. A Nundu core will make it perfect for thee, without it, thee can never reach thy full potential."
Harry still didn't like it. He felt like he was using her, and the last thing he wanted was to harm her. "Are you sure she will be alright?" Harry couldn't help but ask with a tiny voice. The thought of Itisa being angry with him—he would never be able to live with that.
"Yes, I promise thee," her voice was filled with conviction. "Thy companion will be safe." Her words were a balm to Harry's troubled soul, easing his fears. She leaned in and kissed his forehead, a gesture of comfort and reassurance.'
Now
After receiving the letter from Hogwarts, Tonks was the first to notice it when he walked back inside and started celebrating, even though it was obvious that he would get it.
"My Harry got the Letter. My Harry got the Letter!!" Tonks cheered loudly, dancing on her tiptoes; Harry chuckled in amusement while Itisa looked at Tonks as if she had gone mad before shaking her head, almost like a disappointed parent.
Tonks swept Harry off his feet, lifting him high into the air. Harry's legs flailed, his attempts to escape her grip futile. "Nymphadora, put the boy down," Andromeda scolded, her tone a mix of amusement and reprimand. Ted, finding the situation amusing, laughed heartily.
"Ughhh...fine." Tonks groaned disappointedly before kissing Harry on the cheek and then letting go of him.
After sleeping under their roof for two years, and not being the first time, not even the tenth time since he received a kiss like this, Harry didn't turn red like he used to; instead, a smug smirk appeared on his lips.
"No worries, Lady Andromeda. Tonks just couldn't control herself around someone as handsome as me." Harry teased with a wink at Tonks, who glared down at him, while Andromeda burst out laughing.
"You have quite a big mouth, Harry." Tonks huffed, crossing her arms and looking down at him with a playful glare.
"And you have--" "Okay, enough, you two. Harry Potter."
The boy watched as the man walked up to him and hugged him. "Congratulations, my boy. I have no doubt that soon, everyone in the world will hear your name and be amazed by you, not because of that little scar on your head. No, soon you will make a name for yourself that has nothing to do with what happened eleven years ago." Ted said sincerely with a fatherly smile. Harry felt his eyes burn before hugging the man who had kept him in his house for so long and had never complained.
"Okay, enough, hugs. Let's go and get everything you need."
Later
The Tonks are currently walking along the path, with young Harry reading the items he needs for the new school year. When he got to the part where he needed to buy a hat, he looked up at Andromeda with a questioning gaze.
"Do I really have to buy a hat?"
"Trust me when I say: The hats are a waste of time," Tonks interjects.
"We don't even wear them; barely anyone ever wears them. Some professor used to scold us about hats, but no one does anymore. I think it's still there just for face value. Pointy hats are old fashion now. They used to wear them, but not anymore." Nymphadora informs Harry as he goes back to read the requirements, with Itisa reading from his shoulder. In the last two years, Itisa had changed a little; her fur had turned redder.
As he continued reading the letter, he noticed something that didn't sit well with him.
"Okay, why does it have to be only Owls, cats, or toads? What's wrong with bringing a dog?" Harry asked, looking up at Andromeda. He could understand not allowing dangerous animals, even though Itisa was probably the most dangerous one. Mister Ted had once commented that Itisa was like a...
' "Harry, I don't mean anything by it, but Itisa is like a Nuclear Bomb, but unlike them that can be activated only once. Itisa can do it more than once. So you can understand why they are seen as extremely dangerous in the entire wizarding world.
"What's a Nuclear Bomb?!" Tonks questioned as she was chewing a piece of bread with butter that she had borrowed from Harry.
"Not important." '
Harry, with his messy black hair and round glasses, escaped his thoughts as the pink-haired witch spoke to him.
"I don't really know, Harry. You should ask Dumbledore." Nymphadora told him.
The Tonks and Harry merge into the bustling stream of people. Numerous wizards and witches, their faces alight with recognition, greet Andromeda and her daughter.
As they continue to walk down the street, Harry notices several girls around his age eyeing him. They giggle and turn away as he turns to them, leaving him confused.
"Do you see his eyes?" One whispers.
"He's adorable," another cooes.
"I hope we get sorted in the same house." Another one whispers as they walk away.
Nymphadora nudges his arm with a teasing look, causing him to groan as he continues on his path.
"Not a word Nym. Not. A. Word." Nym puts her hands up in surrender.
"I didn't say anything." Harry's head moves from left to right, taking note of all the shops they pass.
"So, I see a joke shop—not my thing. The ice cream store and sweets shop—perhaps later. A broom store—again, not interesting. When do we get to things we actually need? Like supplies and such?" Andromeda grumbles as she drags him closer to her to avoid colliding with a trolley of baked goods.
"Let's go then. We've got items to knock off your list! First, you'll need a wand." Andromeda leads Harry to a small, shabby-looking shop. Its columns on either side of the large bay window are grey with peeling paint.
He can see a solitary wand displayed in a dusty velvet box through the window.
The sign on top of the window in faded gold letters read "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.".
Harry does a double take on the date and raises an eyebrow. "Now that's a long time."
"Yeah, good old Ollivander is one of the best wand makers in the world. If you ever need a wand, he's the guy for you." Tonks chimed in, knowing why Harry was so nervous.
Harry had confided in her about the recurring dreams he had been having. Tonks wasn't sure yet what to make of it. Harry's dreams weren't exactly a normal occurrence, even in the magical world. Tonks wanted to tell her parents about it, but Harry, told her to keep it a secret for now.
She didn't agree with him but decided to go with it. Since there had been no negative repercussions so far, she was fine with these strange dreams, but Harry had told her that this woman had told him something about his wand.
Apparently, he needed to use a Nundu core so his wand could reach its full potential. Tonks wondered why this woman thought that Harry needed one, but she knew how rare the Nundu cores were, and even those wands that had them, the cores were from dead Nundus, not alive ones, so for Harry to bring an active core to the wand maker and ask for him to make a new wand. She knew just how bad things could go.
"Harry, we will wait for you outside. Good Luck." Andromeda wished him luck. Harry had taken enough coins from his vault to buy everything he needed.
Harry looks down at the coins before pocketing them. "You're not coming in with me?"
"Oh, no, no, no. The selection of a wand is intimate. Besides—there's something I have to go get."
Harry eyes Tonks for a moment before shrugging. "Fine. See you in a minute." He starts to turn to walk in, but before he does, he hands Itisa to Tonks. She meowed in protest at being separated from Harry.
"Don't worry, good girl. I will return soon." Harry said softly, caressing the underneath of her neck. His eyes briefly went to the newest change in her. Her tail had grown a little longer, and the fur around her tail was always spiky now. The tuft of fur on her tail had grown, and it would often burst into purple flames sometimes.
A small bell chimes when Harry pushes open the door to Ollivander's. It is cramped inside, and everywhere he looks, all along the shop's walls, are boxes of wands stacked high underneath a thin layer of dust.
The only furniture inside the shop is a rickety old chair behind an even older desk. On the desk lays an assortment of odd knickknacks, such as candy wrappers, notes, a broken radio, quills and ink, and a tall vase with a lone goldfish swimming inside.
A man's head peaks from behind the rows of wands further into the shop. Harry can see the silhouette of a skinny man, rather short, with untamed white hair. As the man walks into the light, Harry can see he is old and frail-looking, though his eyes are a vibrant shade of silver.
"Welcome to Ollivander's, Mr. Harry Potter. How may I help you?" Ollivander finally says. Harry's brows crinkle as he questions how this man knew his name right away. They had entered Diagon Alley for half an hour now, and no one had noticed him yet.
"How do you know it was me, sir?" Harry asked but felt a little stupid for asking when he felt the man's eyes on his forehead. He wondered if everyone would start looking at his forehead from now on; that could get annoying very fast.
"Your scar, boy, the famous scar. Everyone knows of you." The man said with a hint of awe in his voice.
"Fair enough," Harry mumbled under his breath, not at all pleased at the thought of everyone looking at his forehead, but Tonks had warned him quite often that many, many wizards and witches would try and have a talk with him because of who he was.
Harry didn't like that, but that was something he needed to deal with, but that didn't mean that should always be the case. He knew he was still young, but he would make sure people heard of his name, and not just because of a stupid scar but because of his own talents. Harry would make sure of that and that he would grow powerful enough to defend Itisa. Sooner or later, people would learn the truth.
"I'm here to buy a wand, Mister Ollivander. If you don't mind me asking, do you remember the wands that you sold to my parents?" Harry questioned with courtesy, remembering the lessons Andromeda had given him.
"I remember every single wand I've ever sold, and it seemed like only yesterday when your mother and father were here buying their wands. Your father had a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Your mother's wand was 10¼" long, made of willow, and had an unknown core," Ollivander replies, walking closer to Harry.
Harry listened to what he said, remembering the small box in his pocket.
"So, how does this work? I just pick a wand and...." Ollivander walks to a stack of wands and pauses, his fingers skimming over the boxes before he pulls one out from its place. He opens the box and picks up the pale brown wand inside.
"Oh, no. Like I said before, The wand picks the user." Ollivander answers simply before presenting the wand to Harry.
"Dogwood, unicorn hair, 12 inches. Give it a wave." Harry takes the wand silently. Not knowing what else to do, he gives the wand a quick flick and a loud bang sounds, and smoke erupts from the tip.
Harry's eyes remain filled with curiosity as Ollivander quickly pries the wand from Harry's hand and places it back in the box.
"Mmm, definitely not. Try this one instead. Chestnut, dragon heartstring, 10 inches." Ollivander hands a different wand to Harry, this one more supple than the dogwood. Harry swishes the wand, and a waterfall of icy cold water sprouts from the end and soaks the front of Ollivander's robes.
"Interesting," Harry whispers to himself as the wand is plucked from his fingers and replaced by another. For a good few minutes, Harry tries wands of different make, cores, and lengths as instructed by Ollivander.
After the seventh wand (ash, unicorn hair, 12.5 inches) causes the desk in the room to rattle, Ollivander pauses and takes a good look at the young boy.
A reminder comes to Ollivander, and he hurries to the back of the shop and unlocks a small safe on the shelf. He gently grabs a box from within before stopping. He pauses for a moment, thinking it through, before nodding his head and heading back to stand in front of Harry.
He carefully lifts the lid and shows the boy its contents. "Eleven Inches... Holly Wood... Phoenix Core," he says, handing over the black, red leather-strapped wand.
When Harry grabs the wand, he feels something flow through him, but there is something else there. Harry didn't know why, but it didn't feel right. Ollivander looked at him strangely before grabbing the wand from his fingers.
"Strange!?" He pondered deeply as he looked at the wand before looking back at Harry.
"What is strange?"
"This wand response to you, Mister Potter, but not fully yet. I was sure this one would be the one..." His words trailed off before he decided to look at more wands for him.
Harry tried thirty more, but none came even close to what he felt with the Phoenix core wand. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to give him the core, but with each wand failing, his hopes were dimming. He knew this would go nowhere, so feeling a lump in his throat, Harry swallowed thickly, getting closer to his long desk and clearing his throat.
"Mister Ollivander, would you be willing to change something with the wand that kind of worked for me?" Harry asked, and the man noticed the nervousness in his voice; he put down the box he had been holding before turning his attention entirely to Harry.
"Change something?! What would you want to change, the wood maybe--" "The core." Harry interrupted him, digging into his pocket before putting the box on the desk; the heat and the light coming from inside the box made it seem as if a burning rock was inside the box.
Ollivander's eyes widened as he peered into the box, his mouth falling open in shock. A gasp escaped him, and he swiftly turned his gaze to Harry. With a flick of his wand, the door locked and the curtains drew shut. He fixed Harry with a stern look.
"Where did you get this?"
"Sir.."
"I have made countless wands, Mister Potter. I have worked with every type of core. One day, I was lucky enough to work with a Nundu core, the poor thing was dead, so the wand was nowhere near the power it could have, but I still remember the heat from that thing..." He pointed at the box, his hand sank inside and grabbed it, and pulled out what Itisa had given Harry when he told her he needed a Nundu core to perfect his wand.
What Ollivander held in his hand glittered gold. It looked like a golden ball with long, slender veins growing from the bottom, swirling around the core before coming together at the top, forming an upside-down crow. The core emitted heat and Ollivander quickly let go of it. Before looking at the skin of his palm, he saw that it was burned, his skin had turned red, and bubbles were quickly forming under it.
"This is not dead a dead core...this is a MIRACLE. Mister Potter, this is...This is the opportunity of a lifetime." Suddenly, his whole face brightened up as if Christmas had come early.
Harry swallowed a little easier, his shoulders slumping down in relief, wondering what had suddenly changed. "... You are not worried?" He didn't know why he asked; perhaps he shouldn't have asked.
The man had a pensive look before turning his attention back to Harry. "Where my customers take their cores or whatever material needed to create a wand is none of my business, Mister Potter. But I need to warn you. This will not stay hidden forever. As the only wand maker of the Wizarding Community of the United Kingdom. Every four years, I send a letter to the Ministry of Magic about every wand I sold and have created within those four years and who it was sold to. The last letter was sent last month, and before you ask. I cannot keep this a secret. They will learn that your wand has a Nundu core. A living one. When that day comes, I hope you have a good enough answer as to where you found a living core." The man explained with a hint of warning before putting on a pair of thick gloves made of brown wooden skin.
Harry didn't like the sound of that; he had been hoping that he would take more than just four years to get stronger. How was he supposed to get strong enough to protect Itisa if everyone learned the truth within four years?
Okay, calm down, Harry. This just means you have to get stronger a little faster, and I have four years. I'm sure I can come up with a good enough lie within four years, Harry thought before turning his attention back to the man who grabbed the core with his gloved hand.
Only now, Harry noticed the place where the core had been standing on the desk had turned black, the wood had burned, but not just that, the wood was slowly rotting away, the wood near the area was slowly turning dark brown, with cracks forming on the surface, suddenly the entire long desk gave in, falling forward, almost falling on top of Harry, but he quickly jumped back just in time, a dust cloud spread around the place with Ollivander coughing, but not dropping the core.
"Oh, dear. I should start working on this as soon as possible." The Wand Maker said urgently, ready to walk towards a door at the back of the shop.
"How long will this take?" Harry shouted before the man could disappear into the other room.
"A week." That's all he said as he opened and closed the door.
Harry was left alone. He really wished he could have asked about wand-making. That was something he wanted to know. How could one create a wand? Harry figured he could ask the man the next time they saw each other.
Walking outside, Tonks was waiting for him with her hands in her pockets. "Where is your wand?" she asked when she noticed he wasn't holding a wand box. Itisa quickly jumped on his shoulder the moment he walked outside. He greeted her with a small pet of her head.
"It turns out I needed to give him the core, Nyma. He said it will take a week for him to make the wand. So I just have to wait, and return back here the next Monday." Harry said idly, looking at Itisa closely.
When he told her that he needed a core to make the wand, Itisa gave him the core only three months after he asked. He wondered why. Maybe the core was painful to her, even though she had made no sounds, or maybe it was exhausting, or perhaps the core wasn't stable when out in the open for a long time; that would explain why the heat coming from that thing had increased since yesterday.
"Oh, well, let's get your owl." Harry wasn't sure if Itisa was a big fan of this idea. Sure, he could understand why he needed an owl to send letters and everything else, but he wasn't sure if Itisa would be happy with him if he decided to take the owl. He hoped that she didn't feel like he was replacing her. That would never happen.
"Where are your parents?" Harry asked as he looked around. They were walking towards the Magical Menagerie.
"Went to buy something. I wasn't really paying attention." She said with a small shrug as they walked inside the pet shop.
There wasn't much wall he could see; almost every part of the wall was covered by animal cages, some big, some small. It was very noisy, too. All the animals were making noise, owls hooting the moment they saw Harry walk inside the shop. Itisa didn't seem to like this, as she growled at all of them. The moment she did that, they all fell silent.
"Goodness, finally it stopped," the man behind the counter said cheerfully before enthusiastically clapping at Itisa.
Harry looked at the owl sections, except for one; they had all fallen quiet after Itisa commanded them to do so. This one was pure white, with beautiful white feathers and yellow eyes like Itisa's, except Itisa's eyes were golden and often glittered in the dark.
"Hi, you look beautiful," Harry said in a friendly voice, patting the owl softly. The owl seemed to like his attention when Itisa let out a loud meow, and Harry knew she was angry with the owl.
"Itisa, what do you think? She can be my owl and your new friend," Harry asked with a smile. Looking at her, he saw she was still resting on his shoulder, as always.
Itisa didn't seem like a big fan of the owl, but instead of voicing it out, she let out a growl as if trying to see if she could intimidate the owl. Surprisingly, the beautiful white owl didn't seem to care. Instead, the owl hooted at Iitsa as if trying to talk with her.
Itisa let out another roar, causing the other owls to hide their faces under their wings from fear. Again, the white owl with yellow eyes didn't seem to care; instead, the owl spread its wings as if challenging Itisa.
Harry noticed something that made his eyes widen a little. He saw electricity dancing around the owl's feathers for a brief moment before disappearing. Itisa noticed the same. She growled more loudly, and Harry could tell she wouldn't stop.
"Itisa, enough." He said with a commanding voice; she rolled her eyes before giving him a look as if to say.
'You already have a pet named, Tonks. Why do you need a second one? And this one is ugly as hell.'
The owl let out a screech, spreading its arms once again. This time, it looked more menacing, but Itisa wasn't afraid. Instead, she growled back, accepting the challenge.
'Who are you calling ugly? Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror, or did they all break the moment you tried.'
Itisa growled, baring her teeth; her body slowly started emitting heat, but Harry wasn't about to let her destroy the place.
"Enough," Harry said one more time, this time louder. This made Itisa fall silent as he turned to look at the owner, who looked back at him a little baffled.
"The owl?"
"Oh, the owl is female. She has no name since the owner chooses the name, and I'm surprised she is not trying to claw your eyes out." The man answered a little uneasily as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Why?"
"As you might have already guessed, the owls didn't like to be put in cages, but I cannot let them free since the Aurors and the ministry would be in my ass the moment I did that. They are my property, so I can't have them flying around and perhaps looking suspicious to the muggles." The man told him as he pushed the double-swinging door that led behind his desk and walked up to Harry.
"Quite a beautiful cat you got here," he complimented with a smile before leaning his hand closer, but not to pet Itisa. Instead, he had food in his palm, but Itisa let out a growl, making it clear she wasn't interested in the food.
"Don't mind her; she's just in a bad mood; she thinks I'm replacing her," Harry said teasingly, patting Itisa in the process. The owner let out a chuckle before walking back behind the desk. He grabbed a certain key before handing it back to Harry.
"From my experience, things will work themselves out between the two. At least I hope they do." The owner said as Harry unlocked the cage; once he did, she flew out, making circles around the place, before landing on Harry's unoccupied shoulder, much to Itisa's anger, who glared at the owl.
Harry touched her beautiful feathers, and she seemed to enjoy his attention. "You are beautiful, now what should be your name..." he remembered the name from Hogwarts: A History.
"Your name will be Hedwig," Harry exclaimed, and she let out a sweet, melodic sound, moving her feathers and making it clear she was happy with the name.
Harry paid for the owl and walked outside, holding the now-empty cage. Hagrid seemed to like his shoulder much more, and Itisa quite often let out growls, especially when Hagrid's feather tail bumped against her.
"Congratulations, Harry." Tonks said cheerfully.
The rest of the visit to Diagon Alley went by quickly as they bought the rest of what he needed.
One Week Later
Once again, he found himself in front of the Ollivander's shop—this time only with Tonks. Itisa and Hedwig were left back at the house.
Harry was hoping some time with one another would make the two become friends, but Tonks also warned him that it might result in them starting an all-out war. That was also a possibility.
Harry didn't know how long it would take for the man to create the wand, but imagine his surprise when Ollivander's owl flew to their house this morning with a letter, letting Harry know his wand was ready.
Harry had wasted no time using the Floo Network to go to Diagon Alley with Tonks; now that he was in front of his door once again, Tonks squeezed his hand.
"Alright, Harry, take that wand, and remember it will never be as strong as mine." Harry rolled his eyes.
"Even a normal stick is stronger than your wand, but I should not insult it. My bad. The wand is quite powerful, but I find the owner quite lacking." Harry said snarkily before walking inside; he was sure he heard Tonks murmur something about an 'ungrateful kid' or something like that.
Ollivander was waiting for him, with a new wand box resting on the new desk he had bought. "Ahh, Mister Potter. Please come in."
"It's ready?" He made his way over to the desk.
"Yes, Mister Potter, and I will tell you right now. This might be the Best Wand that I have ever created. So, on my name as Ollivander, the Wandmaker, thank you for this opportunity."
"Why are you thanking me?" Harry asked, now looking down at the wand box. It was unlike the other wand boxes. This box was made entirely of special oak wood. The surface was oiled to make the box more appealing to the eye. A sigil, that of Hogwarts, was craved on top, and something was written on top of the middle of the box in golden letters.
'The Wand of someone who will do Great Things.'
"As a wand maker, mister Potter. I always strive to make better and better wands, but as you might have guessed. Certain types of wands will always be out of my hands. What I would give to make a wand with Basilisk core, Dementor core, Chimera core, Leviathan core, but I believe I don't need to tell you how rare and dangerous they are." Harry knew that. He had read the entire book of Newt Scamander four times.
"But above all. I wanted to make a wand using a Nundu's core, but one that is still alive. You see, Mister Potter. A dead core is quite a sad thing to see; you can taste the power that it offers but never grasp it fully. This is my Masterpiece and should belong to someone destined to do great things. I believe you can be that someone, Harry Potter. Treat it well." The man said with a smile; he seemed like he had just gotten twenty years younger.
Harry smiled gratefully before opening the box. Inside was the best wand he had ever seen. Eleven inches long, made of Holy Wood, the tip was silver, with silver threads spreading downwards across the golden wand. In the middle was the symbol of a Nundu roaring to a black moon.
Harry gently grasped the wand, and a source of power rushed through him like a violent river; the silver tip of his wand glittered silver, and the entire shop was illuminated. Harry could feel it around him; he felt as if he could fly right now, but just as it came, the feeling slowly faded away as he put the wand back inside.
"It's perfect." Harry had no other words to say as he reached into his pocket to pay him.
"No need for money, Mister Potter. You gave me the opportunity to make this wand. That is more than enough payment for me. I hope it serves you well."
"Thank you, Mister Ollivander. You know, one day, I would like to know how wands are made."
"Wand-making is one of the most difficult branches of magic, Mister Potter. There's a reason there isn't that many of us around the world, but if you ever want to learn Wand making, send me an owl. Perhaps one day, you will make your own wand."
Harry again thanked the man before leaving the shop with his brand-new wand.
"Did you get it?" Tonks asked right away the moment he walked outside. He snickered at her reaction before opening the box and showing her the wand; her eyes lingered on the wand.
"Wow, I've never seen one quite like this..." her words trailed off as she grabbed his wand. He watched as she looked at it strangely. Suddenly, her breathing got a little heavy, and she quickly let go of the wand, putting it back inside the box.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked concernedly, seeing that her face had gone a little pale, her breathing was heavy, and her legs turned wobbly.
"...I'm fine...There's...There's something strange about that wand," she said a little breathlessly as Harry grabbed the wand, but he didn't feel anything strange. Instead, he felt the rush of magic once again.
"Feels fine to me." He said dismissively.
August
"Pre-School Visit?!" Harry asked, confused as he looked at Professor Minerva sitting on the other side of the square table. Harry and Tonks were playing a game of poker using muggle cards.
Ted had taught them the rules, and they started playing, only for Minerva to arrive unannounced at their home. After apologizing for the sudden visit, she informed Harry that he could visit Hogwarts as part of the Muggle-Born Pre-School Program that Dumbledore had approved of; when he had looked at Tonks, waiting for her to explain, she looked just as confused as him.
"This program was approved by the ministry and the headmaster to aid the Muggle Born in their first year. As you know, Muggle Borns had never heard of magic and didn't know it existed until the day they received the letter. This program is put in place so the Muggle Borns can come and visit Hogwarts; they will be given a tour. The rules they should obey just to prepare them when the School Year starts." Minerva explained in her 'Professor' voice, as Tonks liked to call it, before taking a sip of tea that Andromeda had prepared for her.
Harry could see the logic in that. This would be a perfect opportunity for Muggle Borns to be more prepared for the school year, but he couldn't help but feel that there was something else in this visit.
"But I'm not muggle born." Harry reminded her.
"Every first year can be part of this visit, even purebloods, but they will probably not show up." Minerva told him.
Harry didn't see much reason to visit Hogwarts right now. After all, he already knew enough about magic, but this also meant he could meet someone his age and make new friends.
As much as he loved Tonks and Itisa, he wanted friends his age, so this visit could be an opportunity for him.
"I'm coming to Hogwarts." Despite saying that, Harry wondered if someone was playing a game in the background. Why did this program become a thing in the year he would start Hogwarts?
One Week Later
Harry had decided to only take a notebook in case he needed to write something down; Tonks, Andromeda, and Ted were accompanying him, with Itisa on his shoulder. Hedwig was left at home; she enjoyed flying and scratching her wings.
They made their way to platform 9¾. He noticed that Itisa seemed a little tense, and despite how much he talked to her, she didn't seem to want to calm down.
Harry remembered what Professor McGonagall had told him; she said that he would have to talk with Professor Dumbledore during the visit.
He didn't know why he needed to talk with the old man. A burst of anger spread in his chest like wildfire every time he thought of him, but he quickly tried to stifle it. He reminded himself to keep his emotions in check all the time. If Dumbledore wanted to talk, he would have a talk.
As they walked through the station, they passed through many people when Harry heard a girl speaking near him.
"It should be around here. Professor Minerva said I have to run straight to the wall."
This quickly grabbed his attention and the attention of the others as they stopped in their tracks and looked to their left.
Harry saw a girl who seemed to be his age; her back was turned to him, but he could see she had wild, bushy brown hair.
"I'm sorry, are you looking for the platform 9¾?" Ted asked with a friendly voice as he stepped forward.
The couple with the girl turned around to face them, and now Harry could see her face; she seemed cute.
"I'm sorry, are you wizards?" The man, Harry assumed to be the father, asked nervously as he stepped forward to talk with Ted.
"Yes, and so is your daughter, right? Just run straight to that wall. My wife and I will show you how." The two ran to the wall and disappeared into it.
Harry decided to greet the girl, who was clearly a muggle-born. Minerva must have informed her about the program. "Hi, my name is Harry. What's your name?"
"Hermione Granger...you have a cute cat, Harry." She said with a smile, looking at Itisa, who seemed to be paying attention to something else.
"Her name is Itisa." Harry introduced her with a chuckle, especially when Itisa rolled her eyes.
"These are your parents right. Are you muggle born too?"
"No. I'm half blood." Harry answered with a clenched jaw, not in the mood to tell her that his parents were dead
Soon, they ran to the wall. For a brief moment, Harry was sure he would crash with it, but when he opened his eyes, in front of him stood platform 9¾ and a train that seemed ready to leave the station.
Harry could see a few students here and there, but the majority of the people he could see were older students who had come with their younger siblings. There were only a few students of his age. Harry wondered if more of them were already inside the train.
He was sure this was the moment to say goodbye to Tonks and the others when the pink-haired witch hugged him tightly, almost suffocating him. "Alright, Harry. This is where we depart. Have a good day, and make sure to cause as much havoc as possible. This is Pre School Year, so they can't take house points from you." She said teasingly with a wink. Harry laughed, especially when Lady Andromeda gave her daughter a scolding look.
"Don't listen to her, Harry. She might appear like a sixth-year, but inside, she's still a toddler."
"Is not my fault that you are boring, mom." Tonks defended herself passionately, with Ted chuckling in amusement while his wife glared at their daughter.
"I'm plenty of fun, young lady."
"Your taste in names says otherwise." Tonks quickly countered, but Ted cleared his throat before the two could start a fight.
"Okay enough. This is supposed to be Harry's day, remember that." Ted said strictly before turning to look at Harry.
"Good luck, Harry. Follow the rules, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun. If you break the rules, make sure no one is around."
"Ted!" Andromeda said, perplexed, with a mouth wide open and Tonks laughing out loud.
"Roger that, sir." Harry smiled as Ted walked away to let Andromeda hug him.
"I hope you find new friends, my daughter is a bad influence on you."
"Hey!" She quickly said with a protest. "I'm the best influence." She persisted.
Hogwarts
With his old blue eyes, he looked at the landscape surrounding Hogwarts; his eyes went to the train that stopped in Hogsmeade.
His fingers stroked his long beard, knowing who was on that train.
Good, everything is going according to the plan, Dumbledore thought with a sad smile on his features. Both Harry and his Nundu were needed for the next part. He knew they wouldn't like it, but it needed to be done for the Good of All.
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