She grimaced, and took the wand. Under normal circumstances, Morgiana wasn't superstitious, but if Mr Hambledon thought it was an unlucky wand, maybe it really was. Though, on the bright side, maybe it wouldn't pick her.
Again, she waved the wand, though this time, somewhat less enthusiastically. To Morgiana's horror, instead of a dirty black cloud, this time a shining golden mist began to exude from the tip of the wand and a kind of indescribable excited feeling rushed through her.
Oh no.
No no no no no.
She was getting stuck with an unlucky wand. Unfair!
"So, um, elder. Right. That's not really unlucky for the person who has it, huh? It's more the people they duel and stuff that are, like, unlucky, right?" she asked.
~~~~~
Frank liked to reassure children who came into the store. In a way, it was part of his job. He might have been a gruff man, be he had a soft spot for children, and didn't like to see them upset. There was something small and innocent about children - Frank didn't like to be a part of their disappointment, if he could help it. Still, as an assistant in a wand store, he had studied some lore. And he knew better than to cast off the questions of children simply because they were young. Especially if the young lady in question was a CUSTOMER in the store - proper work ethic would simple NOT allow customers to be cast aside, that way, regardless of age!
So, Frank looked seriously at the girl, and let a small silence envelope them as he gathered his thoughts into a coherent statement.
"I don't normally bore my customers with the humble amount of wand lore I've studied." Frank started, as a disclaimer. It wasn't COMPLETELY true, though it was in Frank's eyes - for one thing, he had probably studied quite a bit more wand-lore than the average wizard. He had a fair idea and sense of wands and their properties, and had been reading a huge volume to further his studies just in the last several weeks. But, compared to wand-MAKERS, or wand-SCHOLARS...Frank knew a very humble amount, indeed.
"Elder, like any wand wood, has admirable and reliable magical properties - otherwise, it wouldn't be suitable to channel magic as a wand." He stated, as a matter-of-course. "Now...there is myth - and many people aren't even convinced that this myth is even true! - that there was a powerful wand, once, made of elder. It passed through the hands of many dark wizards, and left a trail of sorrow and pain because of its evil wielders." Now Frank was getting to the core of his explanation. Hopefully it hadn't been too long for the young girl.
"We DO know, of course, that wand and wizard - or witch, in your case - work TOGETHER. The wand chooses the witch or wizard, and their work is a partnership; some of you will rub off on your wand, and under most circumstances, your wand will work better for you than anyone else. You will likely feel most comfortable, also, using your own wand, rather than that of another. ...so, can you really blame people, after all the dark history with evil wizards with elder wands, for looking at the wand, with so much of its dark owners in it, and thinking that they were evil? Not to mention all the old fairy tales, with a wand of elder associated with Death, and the like." Here was the turning point.
"Don't misunderstand me, now!" Frank insisted, hopefully before she could get too afraid of an evil wand having chosen her. "There were OTHER people with wands of elder during those time, I am most certain - good wizards and witches who would NEVER so much as dabble in the dark arts. But they weren't a threat, or frightening, and their wands weren't known or feared. You see? The key lies in this: the wands that people knew and feared, they were the wands of Dark witches and wizards, and had been steeped in evil and malice for far to long. But it wasn't the wands themselves! It's only that the wands of good witches and wizards don't become feared or famous. THAT is why elder can have a bad reputation." He gave the girl a serious look once again, and spoke quietly.
"Elder is a good wand wood." He told her. "It has a reputation, and that is why people think it's unlucky - and perhaps its magic CAN affect fate to some extent. BUT - and this is important! - it is what you DO with your wand, that will make the difference. Every witch or wizard ever born has had to choose what to do with their birthright and natural abilities. Even Muggle-born wizards and witches must realize, some day, that they ARE different from their families and parents, and have a power that can work for good OR evil. And those are choices that we all must make. Even Muggles, without magic, can use their lives for good or evil - it is the way of the world. Elder has properties that can lend itself well to any magical wielder - even healing, and magics of change. Perhaps it just is able to SENSE evil better - as it has also been said to be good at BANISHING evil magic, when applied against it." He held out his hand and smiled at the girl, mood lightening.
"A wand choosing you is cause for celebration! Here - if you'll hand it to me, I'll wrap and package it nicely for you. Seven galleons for a wand, if you didn't see the sign." He added quickly. He didn't like to emphasize the money part of the business - it was important, but he found it rude to be too obvious about it. "There is history, good and bad, to any sort of wand. If you read any of the large wand-history books, that becomes QUITE apparent." Frank was interested, but even to him, some of those very, VERY long and rambling explanations about wand history could be a bit trying!
"There is no reason for you NOT to be pleased and excited about your wand - elder or any other wood!" Frank assured the girl. "I'm only sorry that the bad reputation it has received, perhaps wrongly," Frank admitted, "has dampened your excitement. An elder wand is a powerful ally for a witch or wizard! And the unicorn tail in its core is telling of a more gentle nature - good for healing, charms, and subtle magics especially, though any Ollivander's wand will suit you well for whatever magic fields you study, I assure you." When he finished packaging the wand, he held it back out to the girl, a gentle and contented smile on his face.
"The wand chooses the witch, Miss," he told her, "but it is YOU who must choose what to DO with it." He concluded. "Congratulations, on your first wand!" He laughed, and, with a slightly deeper look in his eyes than normal merriment, added - but with a smile of hope (rare, for the man), and confidence in the child - "Use it well."
So, Frank looked seriously at the girl, and let a small silence envelope them as he gathered his thoughts into a coherent statement.
"I don't normally bore my customers with the humble amount of wand lore I've studied." Frank started, as a disclaimer. It wasn't COMPLETELY true, though it was in Frank's eyes - for one thing, he had probably studied quite a bit more wand-lore than the average wizard. He had a fair idea and sense of wands and their properties, and had been reading a huge volume to further his studies just in the last several weeks. But, compared to wand-MAKERS, or wand-SCHOLARS...Frank knew a very humble amount, indeed.
"Elder, like any wand wood, has admirable and reliable magical properties - otherwise, it wouldn't be suitable to channel magic as a wand." He stated, as a matter-of-course. "Now...there is myth - and many people aren't even convinced that this myth is even true! - that there was a powerful wand, once, made of elder. It passed through the hands of many dark wizards, and left a trail of sorrow and pain because of its evil wielders." Now Frank was getting to the core of his explanation. Hopefully it hadn't been too long for the young girl.
"We DO know, of course, that wand and wizard - or witch, in your case - work TOGETHER. The wand chooses the witch or wizard, and their work is a partnership; some of you will rub off on your wand, and under most circumstances, your wand will work better for you than anyone else. You will likely feel most comfortable, also, using your own wand, rather than that of another. ...so, can you really blame people, after all the dark history with evil wizards with elder wands, for looking at the wand, with so much of its dark owners in it, and thinking that they were evil? Not to mention all the old fairy tales, with a wand of elder associated with Death, and the like." Here was the turning point.
"Don't misunderstand me, now!" Frank insisted, hopefully before she could get too afraid of an evil wand having chosen her. "There were OTHER people with wands of elder during those time, I am most certain - good wizards and witches who would NEVER so much as dabble in the dark arts. But they weren't a threat, or frightening, and their wands weren't known or feared. You see? The key lies in this: the wands that people knew and feared, they were the wands of Dark witches and wizards, and had been steeped in evil and malice for far to long. But it wasn't the wands themselves! It's only that the wands of good witches and wizards don't become feared or famous. THAT is why elder can have a bad reputation." He gave the girl a serious look once again, and spoke quietly.
"Elder is a good wand wood." He told her. "It has a reputation, and that is why people think it's unlucky - and perhaps its magic CAN affect fate to some extent. BUT - and this is important! - it is what you DO with your wand, that will make the difference. Every witch or wizard ever born has had to choose what to do with their birthright and natural abilities. Even Muggle-born wizards and witches must realize, some day, that they ARE different from their families and parents, and have a power that can work for good OR evil. And those are choices that we all must make. Even Muggles, without magic, can use their lives for good or evil - it is the way of the world. Elder has properties that can lend itself well to any magical wielder - even healing, and magics of change. Perhaps it just is able to SENSE evil better - as it has also been said to be good at BANISHING evil magic, when applied against it." He held out his hand and smiled at the girl, mood lightening.
"A wand choosing you is cause for celebration! Here - if you'll hand it to me, I'll wrap and package it nicely for you. Seven galleons for a wand, if you didn't see the sign." He added quickly. He didn't like to emphasize the money part of the business - it was important, but he found it rude to be too obvious about it. "There is history, good and bad, to any sort of wand. If you read any of the large wand-history books, that becomes QUITE apparent." Frank was interested, but even to him, some of those very, VERY long and rambling explanations about wand history could be a bit trying!
"There is no reason for you NOT to be pleased and excited about your wand - elder or any other wood!" Frank assured the girl. "I'm only sorry that the bad reputation it has received, perhaps wrongly," Frank admitted, "has dampened your excitement. An elder wand is a powerful ally for a witch or wizard! And the unicorn tail in its core is telling of a more gentle nature - good for healing, charms, and subtle magics especially, though any Ollivander's wand will suit you well for whatever magic fields you study, I assure you." When he finished packaging the wand, he held it back out to the girl, a gentle and contented smile on his face.
"The wand chooses the witch, Miss," he told her, "but it is YOU who must choose what to DO with it." He concluded. "Congratulations, on your first wand!" He laughed, and, with a slightly deeper look in his eyes than normal merriment, added - but with a smile of hope (rare, for the man), and confidence in the child - "Use it well."
~~~~~
Morgiana let the shopkeeper's words wash over her. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but really a yes or no would have sufficed. From what he was saying, she took it that the answer was yes, elder was unlucky for the person on the receiving end.
"Okay," she nodded gravely when he'd finished regaling her with his musings on whether elder could affect fate (that sounded pretty cool, actually), or sense evil or banish it or whatever.
To be honest, now that Morgiana knew her wand wasn't unlucky for her, she wasn't interested in the intricacies of its wood's properties.
She reached into a pocket and retrieved a handful of galleons, counted out seven of them onto the counter and picked up the bag her new wand was in.
"Thanks!" she added cheerfully as she left the shop.
"Okay," she nodded gravely when he'd finished regaling her with his musings on whether elder could affect fate (that sounded pretty cool, actually), or sense evil or banish it or whatever.
To be honest, now that Morgiana knew her wand wasn't unlucky for her, she wasn't interested in the intricacies of its wood's properties.
She reached into a pocket and retrieved a handful of galleons, counted out seven of them onto the counter and picked up the bag her new wand was in.
"Thanks!" she added cheerfully as she left the shop.
