Harry Potter and the Eye of Isis

Chapter 4 - Neville's Wand

August 5, 1996

"Your letters came this morning," Mrs. Weasley told Harry, Ron and Ginny as they sat at the table for breakfast. The envelopes were laid out in front of the seats that they had all grown accustom to sitting in. Harry and Ron didn't pay much attention to their letters knowing that they contained book lists and Ron's prefect information.

Dobby served breakfast to each of the children as he'd done for the past several mornings and he still seemed surprised when each person thanked him for anything that he did for them. Anytime someone thanked him, Dobby's eyes would grow wide with shock, and for a brief moment he wouldn't move an inch, almost as if he were waiting for the other shoe to drop. But the moment of shock would subside, and he'd return to his chore.

"Dobby dear," Mrs. Weasley said as she smiled at him, "would you mind getting Mr. Weasley for me? He's going to be late for work."

"Yes Missus." Dobby agreed happily and disappeared.

"I've never seen Dobby happier," Ron smiled at Harry, "but Hermione's going to go bonkers when she finds out Harry."

"Nonsense," Mrs. Weasley insisted. "He's a house-elf, and this is what he wants to do. Besides," she sat down beside Ginny who was reading her letter with wide eyes, "it's been nice having him helping around the house."

"And we're never going to treat him bad," Harry said. "He's much better off here than he ever was."

"She'll be on about spew," Ron said with a frown, "just wait."

"Mummy!" Ginny interrupted the conversation with an excited screech. "I'm a prefect too!" She shoved the letter at her mother.

"That's wonderful Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley said enthusiastically as she began reading the letter.

"Congratulations, Ginny," Harry smiled at her. "I knew you would get it."

"I reckoned so too," Ron agreed. "I mean, she is the top of her class. Why wouldn't it have been her?"

"So what's it going to be Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "What gift would you like?"

"I don't know Mum. Maybe some new dress robes. When are we going to Diagon Alley again?"

"I thought we could do that today." She looked to Ron. "I'll tell Fred and George that you need the day off. I know you haven't had one all summer."

"Well, we did close up early for Harry's party."

"You guys did?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Well, we were all here weren't we?" Ron asked with a smirk. "Course we did, just put a big sign that said 'Holiday - Harry Potter's Birthday'."

Harry laughed uncomfortably wondering if that were really true, and feeling a little embarrassed that maybe the shop did have a sign hung up in honour of his birthday. It was something he imagined Fred and George would do.

Harry was certain that Ron was grumbling under his breath about why Hermione had been left out over holiday. If she hadn't decided to go to Bulgaria, she could have spent the summer at the Burrow with them.

"We should owl Hermione. Maybe she'll be able to meet us there." Ron suggested. "I think she's been feeling a bit left out this summer."

Harry just had to smile as he agreed that Hermione probably had felt left out. "I'll go get Hedwig, you write the letter."

When Harry returned from the garden with his owl perched on his shoulder, Ron had already finished the letter. He quickly tied it to Hedwig's leg and offered her an owl treat before she flew away. In two hours, they received the response that Hermione would meet them at noon. She had already planned a trip so it was good timing.

Mrs. Weasley took Harry, Ron, and Ginny into Diagon Alley just before noon so that they would have enough time to walk to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes to meet Hermione and her parents. Since Harry hadn't told Hermione about Dobby she was quite surprised to see Dobby with them, standing just slightly to the side and behind Harry.

"Hi Dobby," she squatted down so that they were at eye level with each other. "It's nice to see you again. How have you been?"

"Fine Misses." He smiled but remained behind Harry as he continually glancing up at him. This behaviour seemed peculiar to Hermione since he had been so proud of his freedom previously. "What are you doing here today?"

"Dobby stays with his Master," he said proudly. "Always."

Hermione's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "What? You don't have a master. You're free."

Harry put his hand on Dobby's head so he wouldn't feel awkward about not responding. "Dobby is now my house-elf."

"What?" She shrieked. "But you're a member of S.P.E.W.!"

"No reason to make a fuss about it dear," Mrs. Weasley told her, "or a scene." She pointed this out because others were staring, and no one else had a problem with this new arrangement.

"Come on, Hermione," Ron jostled her a bit to get her to stand back up. "Dobby's really happy. He's been taking care of Harry for years anyway. It's better this way."

She scowled at Ron then at Harry, giving him a look that stated how unbelievable she found this situation. And Harry knew that Ron was right, she was going to give him a piece of her mind later for promoting the enslavement of house-elves. He wanted to explain to her that he was kind to Dobby, and he had every intention of being a good master, but somehow he doubted that would comfort her in any way.

After a few moments of tension they finally left for a quick trip to Gringotts. When Mrs. Weasley started to empty out their small vault Ron stopped her. "Mum, I've got my own money now. I want to buy my school supplies myself, okay?"

"But Ron, that money was for you not..."

"Mum, I want to. This is what I want to do with my money."

She smiled proudly at him and rubbed his cheek. He was much more responsible than most people gave him credit for. He wasn't just saying that to spare his parents funds, but because he was proud of the work he'd done and wanted to pay his own way.

Madam Malkins was their next stop. Harry picked up the robes he'd ordered the previous week and Ron got fitted for a new robe. He was thrilled at the prospect of having one of his own rather than wearing one of Bill's or Charlie's this year. Hermione and Ginny lost themselves in the dress robes, giggling and ohhing and ahhing at the numerous different robes they were looking at. Harry sat next to Mrs. Weasley smiling as he watched the whole affair. He stared in awe at the robes that Ginny finally decided on. The pale pink flattered her complexion very well. When he realized that he was staring, he quickly pulled his gaze away, hoping no one had noticed.

Harry was glad to go book shopping; there was nothing to blush about in Flourish and Blotts. After the books were purchased, Harry, Ron and Ginny handed their books to Dobby. Hermione couldn't bring herself to watch them use Dobby and turned away...right into Draco Malfoy.

"What's this then, Mudblood?" He spat the raised his eyebrows when he saw Dobby. "What's he doing here?"

Dobby placed a shrinking charm on the books and put them into Mrs. Weasley's bag before hiding behind Harry. The sight of a Malfoy still made him cringe.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Harry asked coldly. "Why aren't you rotting in Azkaban with your father?"

Malfoy immediately pulled out his wand but, before he could whisper any curse, his mother grabbed his hand. "Foolish boy," she whispered and snatched the wand from his grip. "This is neither the time nor the place." Then, she too caught the sight of Dobby. "What are you doing here, vermin?"

"He's my elf," Harry said defiantly. "He can be anywhere I wish him to be. And you are not entitled to call him names."

Mrs. Weasley stepped in between the boys. "Narcissa, we must be on our way, have a good day." She ushered the children out of the shop and stopped to have words with them outside. "You all must keep your cool around the Malfoys. Each of you know where their loyalties lie," she said seriously. They each nodded at her. "Now," she added, more cheerfully, "how about a spot of lunch?"

They found a nice table outside of Florean Fortescue's where they ordered sandwiches and sundaes. About halfway through their meal Neville and his grandmother approached them.

"Neville, have a seat," Harry offered.

Neville looked excited for a moment and then glanced at his grandmother. "Gran, these are my friends from school." She nodded at each of them not making a fuss about anyone. "Could we join them for a few minutes Gran?"

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley insisted. "I've been meaning to ask you about a certain magical creature, Mrs. Longbottom."

"I suppose for a moment." She accepted a seat next to Mrs. Weasley.

Neville tucked in between Harry and Ron and immediately began talking about his new wand. "Beautiful isn't it?" He pulled out the highly polished wand. "Thirteen inches, rowan with a phoenix feather core..."

Harry's got goose bumps when Neville said that. "Did you say phoenix feather, Neville?"

"Yeah, Mr. Ollivander said they are rare wands and only a couple of great wizards have them. Gran said that rowan is particularly good at casting out evil, so this should be a powerful wand. Besides, the wand chooses the wizard right? So my magic is bound to be better when I'm using my own wand."

"That's right Neville." Hermione smiled at him. "Just think about the N.E.W.T.s."

"Do I have to?"

They all laughed at that. Of course Hermione was already thinking about the N.E.W.T.s. She was probably already studying for them too and devising a way to make Harry and Ron study as well.

They made their way back through Diagon Alley after lunch. On the way to Madam Malkins to pick up their robes, Harry stopped in front of Mr. Ollivander's shop, curiosity burning within him.

"Mrs. Weasley." He stopped her. "I really need to ask Mr. Ollivander something. Can I meet you at Madam Malkins?"

"Harry, you know I can't leave you alone." She looked at Mrs. Longbottom following behind. They too were getting Neville new robes. "Mrs. Longbottom, would you mind taking all the kids up to Madam Malkins? Harry and I are going to pop into Ollivander's for a moment."

"Certainly, Molly." She immediately took charge and ushered all of the children past.

Harry didn't enter the shop immediately. "Would you mind not telling anyone about this trip?"

"Of course, Harry." Her eyes gave away that she was definitely intrigued by what the visit might entail.

Harry, Mrs. Weasley and Dobby entered the shop. Mr. Ollivander came out of the shelves upon shelves of wands and smiled at Harry. "Mr. Potter, I've been hoping to see you again."

Puzzled, Harry asked, "you have?"

He nodded. "I have something I think may be of use to you."

Harry was truly confused. Why would Mr. Ollivander seem to be expecting him? And what could he possibly have for Harry?

"What do you have for me?"

"Well, it may not be for you, but it may be..." he said vaguely as he changed the subject. "What can I do for you today?"

"I had a few questions that I thought you might be able to answer." The old man nodded slowly at Harry. "Did you know that I wouldn't be able to duel Voldemort?"

"I knew that the brother wands could be quite powerful together, and that they would not want to work against one another."

"Do I need another wand? I thought my wand choose me?"

Mr. Ollivander didn't answer, instead he disappeared into the back of his store and when he emerged he was carrying three boxes, all of them a beautiful hue of gold: one with a hint of red, one with a hint of blue and one a sparkling yellow. He laid the three boxes on the counter and Harry and Mrs. Weasley approached, peering at the boxes.

Mrs. Weasley gasped as she realized what had been laid before them. "These are the wands of three of the founders."

"Yes." Mr. Ollivander nodded.

Harry looked up at Mr. Ollivander. "Which one is missing?" But Harry didn't need an answer. "Slytherin's wand is not here."

"You are correct, Harry. Slytherin's wand has never been recovered." Mr. Ollivander opened the box with a hint of red in its colour, carefully removing the wand from within, and handed it to Harry. "Give it a try."

Harry gripped the wand tightly as it filled him with a warm sensation. He gave it a flick and showered the room in red and gold sparkles. Another swish produced a large bouquet of golden roses and a faint hum.

"This is Godric Gryffindor's wand?" Harry knew it instantly.

Mr. Ollivander nodded proudly. "Ten inches, holly with a griffin's tail. Not a brother wand."

"But why did you think I'd be a match for Gryffindor's wand?" Harry wanted to know.

"Some things, Mr. Potter, you will have to learn for yourself." Mr. Ollivander answered with a serious face. "I'm sure it will become clear to you soon."

Entranced more by the wand than the explanation that Mr. Ollivander offered, Harry asked, "how much?" knowing he had to have it.

Mr. Ollivander simply held his hand out for the wand, and when Harry gave it back, he tucked it back into its golden box. He then handed the box to Mrs. Weasley but kept his eyes on Harry.

"I know you will do what you think is best with it." He finally told Harry. "Just remember, that it is a very powerful wand, and must be cared for and protected."

"Yes, sir."

"And if a time comes that you no longer need it, remember that my wand storage is the safest place in the world for it."

"Yes, sir." Harry understood that meant it was to be returned to Mr. Ollivander once Voldemort was defeated.

Mrs. Weasley concealed the box in her bag and headed for the door. She paused, looking back at Harry, who was still staring at Mr. Ollivander. He obviously had something else to ask Mr. Ollivander.

"Is Neville's wand also our brother? Did Fawkes give another feather?"

"You are very perceptive, Mr. Potter." Mr. Ollivander nodded. "You and Mr. Longbottom have the power to do great things together."

"Two against one now." Harry whispered to himself as they left.