Post by Isabelle Ine Iolani on May 31, 2013 13:27:10 GMT -6
--- time warp : before isabelle's first year at hogwarts ---
What. a. day. Isabelle thought to herself as she slowly opened the door into this antique looking shop called Ollivander's. Her mother, across the street, for some reason did not want to join her. Just go in, deary, you'll need a wand for school, her mother said in her soft, motherly voice as she dropped galleons into Isabelle's hand, patting her hand shut.
Isabelle stepped into the shop, immediately in awe of all the long, slender boxes shaped similarly to the ones shoes went into. A bell rang as the door shut, and Isabelle looked behind her. The young eleven-year-old was just amazed. This quarter-blooded witch had only found out there was magic in her blood a month ago. Hell, she didn't even realize there was really such a thing as magic at her age. She thought she was done with fairy tales, but now it seemed she was living in one.
She looked around the shop, jaw slightly dropped. Were there...wands... in all of these boxes? Wow, she couldn't believe it. There must have been a profession, or something, designed for gathering and making wands. Were they all different? Could she just pick one up? Oh, she had so many questions.
Isabelle stepped up to one box, and placed her hand on it, about to pull it from its place...
Post by Diagon Alley Shopkeeper on May 31, 2013 16:23:25 GMT -6
Having just heard the door, the wandmaker quickly put down his whittling knife and the wand he had been working on as he pushed back his chair. Making his way down one of the long, narrow aisles, he would occasionally reach up and tap a box back into place. He paused towards the end of the aisle, eyes having landed on a young girl who was examining the front of the store with awe. It never ceased to bring him joy to see the look of wonder many had when they first entered this old shop.
"Good day to you," he greeted her as he stepped out from behind one of many packed shelves. "I am, as you may have guessed, Mr. Ollivander. And I will assume you are a soon to be first year looking for her first wand. Correct?"
Post by Isabelle Ine Iolani on May 31, 2013 16:30:20 GMT -6
As Isabelle's hand grazed the box, she heard a voice. Although it should have been expected, it was not. She jumped, realizing how foolish her reaction was immediately. The young girl drew her hand down at her side, and turned to face the old man.
"Yes, yes..." she spoke, shy. She still felt a little embarrassed after having jumped in reaction. "I'm starting my first year at Hogwarts. What do I do? Do I just...pick one?" She was new to all this and in afterthought thought she may have sounded foolish to this probably-very experienced man. She stepped backward, looking up, and avoiding eye contact with the wandmaker.
Post by Diagon Alley Shopkeeper on Jun 2, 2013 12:58:02 GMT -6
They always seem to be so nervous, he thought to himself as he gave her a reassuring smile. "Not exactly. If we just tried random wands it would take quite a while to find your wand," he explained. "I will ask you some questions, take some measurements, then make an educated guess on what type of wand will work best. I'll pick a stack of wands out & you will try wands until you find the one! Normally, I can find your wand within a few tries but we shall see."
Making his way around the counter he picked up a measuring tape from the counter and tossed it into the air, where it hovered and waited. "Now, let's begin! Back straight, arms held out from your sides, and the measuring tape will do its job. While it does that, tell me...what will you enjoy learning the most at Hogwarts? How to transfigure objects or yourself? Charms that allow you to make an object say, float through the air? Maybe how to work with magical creatures or predict the future?"
Post by Isabelle Ine Iolani on Jun 3, 2013 0:24:59 GMT -6
isabelle listened intently to each word that left the older wizard's mouth, nodding her head eagerly on occasion as he spoke. as he directed her to prepare to get fitted for her wand, she nodded again a few times as she dropped her shoulders, pulled in her tailbone, and threw out her arms jesus-style. fascinated, she turned her head over her shoulder, her eyes following the measuring tape as it moved. wow...
as he asked her those questions, she blinked. her eyes widened a little, and her lower lip dropped a few centimeters. she didn't know how to answer those questions! "sir... i ... i don't know!" how could she explain that she was new to the wizarding world, and had no idea what she would enjoy? she paused. "but... i suppose playing with magical creatures would be exciting." she thought out loud, nodding her head in afterthought. she did like to play with animals...how different could magical creatures be?
Post by Diagon Alley Shopkeeper on Jun 3, 2013 1:50:36 GMT -6
The old man chuckled, eyes following the measuring tape, "Well, many of them you wouldn't exactly be able to play with, but it is a fascinating field all the same. I think I shall be looking for an all around wand for you. I had that feeling from the start. Normally the most excited ones are the ones most fascinated by all of it. Which is a good thing, if I do say so myself."
The measuring tape finished suddenly, and flipping through the air while rolling itself up, it landed on the counter with a soft thud. "Now for the hunt!" he exclaimed as he happily clapped his hands together and made his way among the towering shelves, pulling a wand down here and there. He muttered as he went, apparently at times getting into what sounded like a rather heated debate with himself.
It was a few minutes later when he returned with a stack of boxes to choose from and plopped them on the counter. After a bit of shuffling them about and glancing at the labels, he pulled one wand from its box and offered it to her, "Let's try this one first. 8.25", made of a beautiful swishy cherry, with a core of a unicorn hair. Just point it at the wall and give it a wave!"
Post by Isabelle Ine Iolani on Jun 3, 2013 18:24:24 GMT -6
what?! animals that she couldn't play with? immediately isabelle's mind wandered to tigers with wings and cheetahs that practically teleported (albeit in her eyes they already did). even large brown tree snakes whose sizes were big enough to eat humans! she couldn't tell if her eye sizes grew larger, but they were probably sparkling by that point. but, were there any animals isabelle could play with, perhaps adopt and bring home? she determined to herself she would have to investigate. why didn't her mother tell her any of this!
hearing the gentle clunk on the counter behind her, isabelle turned around. her brown eyes followed the thin elder wizard as he made his way around the shop, skillfully pulling wands from the stacks of boxes without letting any collide or fall onto the floor. at point, she saw his lips moving, but only heard murmurs as opposed to discernible sounds or words. it was at that point of misunderstanding that she wondered if the wizarding world had a different language, too. she would later be disappointed to realize the answer would be no.
finally, eventually, ollivander returned with a stack of boxes, with a healthy amount for him to shuffle through and choose from. isabelle, anxious and excited, practically skipped a single step so she could reach the wand in the box ollivander held. slowly lifting her arm, she gently picked up the wand. cherry! she liked cherries. and unicorns... she nodded at ollivander's instructions, pointing her wand at the wall. she took a deep breath in, and with her wand drew the letter "u" in the air.
vines quickly began to grow on the wall, and began making their way towards occupying the rest of the room. startled, isabelle's eyes widened as she turned to the older wizard. "what do i do?!" she asked in a high(er) pitched voice.