Chapter - 6.1

Inside the Ollivander shop,

Taking out the wand from the box, Mr Ollivander forwarded it to Alex. But Alex was a bit hesitant to take it from him. He was not scared, but the wand released a gloomy aura, making him wary of it.

"Please try this, I insist," nudging the wand towards Alex, Mr Ollivander said, insisting.

When Alex looked at Mr Ollivander's eager eyes, despite being hesitant, he finally took the wand from Mr Ollivander's hand. But as soon as he held the wand in his hand, the atmosphere in the shop changed. Temperature significantly dropped, and Nicole felt her legs go weak with the sudden pressure that appeared out of nowhere in the shop.

Nicole grabbed the arms of the chair beside her to support herself as she looked at her brother in shock. All of a sudden, she felt scared, and she knew what the source of her fear was.

Finally, it took a minute or two, but the things returned to normal again inside the shop.

"Ahh... Splendid. But what a shame," shaking his head, Mr Ollivander said.

"Hey, old man. Do you find it funny?" Nicole, after finally getting back her breath, decided to take on Mr Ollivander, "First, you will be like Splendid, Magnificant and things like that. After that, you will shake your hands and express regret for my brother and me. You sure everything's right on your top floor?"

But Mr Ollivander chose to ignore Nicole this time.

"Will you explain, old man? What just happened and whether it was good or bad?" Nicole composed herself and asked Mr Ollivander, concerned about her brother.

"As a wizard, young Miss, it is certainly a good thing," Mr Ollivander said with a forced smile. Then he turned towards Alex, "But for you, Mr Ashbrige. I can only say it's going to be a tough journey ahead" Mr Ollivander shared his thoughts with the siblings.

"How so?" Nicole asked, wanting to know more. Mr Ollivander's words gave no comfort to her.

"This is a dual-core wand, Miss Ashbridge. This pretty wand is made of Elder wood. With its core made of Thunderbird tail feather along with Horned Serpent horn, this wand is thirteen and a quarter inches. Strong and subtle," Mr Ollivander said, shaking his head, "But unfortunate."

"The rarest wand wood of all. And reputed to be deeply unlucky, the elder wand is trickier to master than any other. It contains powerful magic but scorns to remain with any owner who is not superior to his or her company. The truth is that only a highly unusual person will find their perfect match in the elder, and on the rare occasion when such a pairing occurs, I take it as certain that the witch or wizard in question is marked out for a special destiny," Mr Ollivander said, looking at the wand and then towards Alex, "The fact that I remembered about this wand was because, over years of study, I found that the owners of elder wands almost always feel a powerful affinity with those chosen by rowan..." Mr Ollivander explained in detail about the wand, and by the end, he was looking at the wand in Nicole's hand.

Mr Ollivander continued explaining the wand, "... Thunderbird tail feather in your wand can sense danger and cast curses on their own. The horned serpent horn, ahh... is an exceptionally powerful core. Also, it warns its owner of danger by emitting a low musical tone. I hope you understand what I am trying to say. Although this wand is among the most powerful of wands, you will never be at ease... Never. And to not lose your wand, you will need to grow stronger each day," Alex could feel pity in Mr Ollivander's voice. Yet, he could also sense a certain amount of excitement. Curiosity to know what was in there for the boy in the future, "Pushing yourself to limits. Competing with no one but yourself."

"Brother, why don't you give it back. We will look for some other wand somewhere else," Nicole tried to persuade her brother into giving up the wand.

"Mr Ollivander," Alex wanted to ask something. For the first time in so many years, he felt a desire. The desire to have this wand. It was not overflowing, but it was certainly there, "Does no one own an elder wand?"

"Of course, they do," Mr Ollivander raised his eyebrow and looked at Alex, "There is a myth that no one owns an elder wand, but that is not true," Mr Ollivander shook his head.

"True, compared to others, their numbers are insignificant," Mr Ollivander nodded, "But there are those with elder wands. I, on the other hand, have never sold any. But I know at least a dozen who have."

“But the…” Alex wanted to ask something but was interrupted by Mr Ollivander.

“Story? Let me tell you something, Mr Ashbridge. True stories of some legends exist, but every story is word of a mouth. Half true, Half false.” Mr Ollivander smiled.

"Whatever, brother. Let's not take this one. I feel uneasy," Nicole tried to dissuade Alex from buying this cursed wand.

"Mr Ashbridge, if I may," Mr Ollivander interrupted when he heard Nicole. The fact that the wand that has been in the shop for so long finally chose a master was an incredible feat in itself. Mr Ollivander did not want to let go of this opportunity.

"Yes, Mr Ollivander, please," Alex said, gesturing for him to speak freely.

"Mr Ashbridge, the other wands I showed you. It's not like you can't perform magic with them," Mr Ollivander said, placing the wand Alex was most adaptable with from those he showed earlier.

"So you are suggesting..." Alex understood the underlying meaning of Mr Ollivander's words.

"Yes, Mr Ashbridge. I would like you to take the elder wand, and along with that, take this wand," Mr Ollivander suggested.

"... Though you won't be able to tap into the full potential of this wand... I feel certain that it won't be a problem for you." Mr Ollivander said, " And I won't report about the elder wand to the Ministry," Mr Ollivander whispered the last part.

"What do you mean report to the Ministry?" Nicole asked.

"Young miss, it's a binding on us to report about every wand sold by this shop to the Ministry. Along with the name of the owner of that wand." Mr Ollivander said, "So, I suggest you keep your wand safe and with you all the time. If it were to fall in the wrong hands, you might be the one getting in trouble... It is troublesome to reason out with those from the Ministry," Mr Ollivander cautioned them.

"... And Mr Ashbridge, I would suggest you don't use the elder wand if not extremely necessary. If possible, don't utter a word about it to anyone," Mr Ollivander adjusted his glasses to closely look at Alex.

"Forget about its existence unless you are confident that you can tap into its power without losing yourself." Mr Ollivander warned Alex.

Saying so, Mr Ollivander shifted his gaze toward Nicole, "I would suggest obliviating the memory of everyone concerned." Out of nowhere, Mr Ollivander had a wand in his hand, "It is best to tie up loose ends,"

Scared by the way Mr Ollivander was looking at her, Nicole hid behind Alex.

"That won't be necessary, Mr Ollivander," Alex said, showing his palm to Mr Ollivander.

"Please do consider," Mr Ollivander insisted.

"It's alright. I have decided to take the elder wand along with the wand you suggested." Alex said, killing the conversation about obliterating Nicole's memory.

"This one had the highest affinity with you among the rest. Elm and dragon heartstring, twelve inches. Strong yet flexible, of all wand woods, elm, in my experience, produces the fewest accidents, and the most elegant charms and spells. These are sophisticated wands, capable of highly advanced magic in the right hands," putting his wand away, Mr Ollivander explained once again.

"Thank you, Mr Ollivander. How much do I need to pay?" Alex asked.

"That would be seventeen galleons, Mr Ashbridge," replied Mr Ollivander. He had decided to gift the rowen wand to Nicole, "Let me put that elder wand in the box. This box seals any trace of the wand and keeps it from acting on its own."

"Acting on its own?" Nicole was angry with the old man. But she was surprised to hear his words that she had to ask.

"Don't worry," closing the box, Mr Ollivander looked at Nicole with a smile. He was back to his usual self, "No other wand, except for the elder wand, has such behaviour." Mr Ollivander replied but did not dive into much detail.

"Here, thank you for everything, Mr Ollivander" Giving him the money, Alex walked out of the shop, followed by Nicole. Alex also slipped in another three gold coins for the trouble and damage they had caused.

"Mr old man," As they were at the door, Nicole looked at the wand lying alone at the window as a showcase, "What about this wand? Can I try it?"

"I am afraid not, young Miss," Mr Ollivander rejected right away, "This belongs to someone."

"Oh well, I was just asking," saying so, Nicole walked out of the shop.

"You are no Ashbridge, are you Mr Alex?" Mr Ollivander muttered to himself, looking at the departing figures of Alex and Nicole through his window as he picked up three coins and played with them.

* * * * *

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Chapter - 12 has been posted on my Patreon. I have also posted the draft of Chapter - 01 of my Patreon-only fan-fic, a Naruto X One-Piece. Do check it out. It's free to read. You can let me know in the comments what you think of the premise.

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