Coral

didn't know what day it was
when you walked into the room
I said hello unnoticed
You said goodbye too soon

Breezing through the clientele
spinning yarns that were so lyrical
I really must confess right here
the attraction was purely physical

I took all those habits of yours
that in the beginning were hard to accept
Your fashion sense, Beardsly prints
I put down to experience

The big bosomed lady with the Dutch accent
who tried to change my point of view
Her ad lib lines were well rehearsed
but my heart cried out for you

You're in my heart, you're in my soul
You'll be my breath should I grow old
You are my lover, you're my best friend
You're in my soul

My love for you is immeasurable
My respect for you immense
You're ageless, timeless, lace and fineness
You're beauty and elegance

You're a rhapsody, a comedy
You're a symphony and a play
You're every love song ever written
But honey what do you see in me

You're an essay in glamour
Please pardon the grammar
but you're every schoolboy's dream
You're Celtic, United, but baby I've decided
You're the best team I've ever seen--


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Chapter 7--Wands

Edward Ollivander arrived minute early, and had entered the parlor just as the grandfather clock was chiming the exact time of his appointment. He promptly took his pocket watch from his velvet vest, and checked that Eloise's clock kept the precise time. When Eloise arrived, ushering her niece in front, he already had the collection of sample wands laid neatly on the table.

Eloise presented Amanda as something between a princess and an anomaly. Amanda could only be self-conscious of her low neckline.

Eloise and Edward had been rivals in school, friends in society, and occasionally their conversations had even bordered on cautious flirtation.The closest they had ever come to an affair was one experimental kiss before the beginning of her second marriage, and at the end of his first. It had tasted if firewhisky, and had no passion. They had dissolved into laughter, and continued as friends. He was one of the few people she could only rarely bully, and she was the only person who wasn't intimidated by his flares of temper.

The Rookwood family had always had their wands made at Ollivander's, and even though he had been too young to make Eloise's wand, Edward Ollivander was his father's apprentice at the time.

Therefore, it was he to whom Eloise had brought her wand when it was broken in an illegal duel, and she needed it not only repaired, but 'erased'. In strictest confidence, so she told Amanda later.

That had been a favor that might well have cost him his right to perform magic; and now she was using her knowledge of it to blackmail him into yet another illegal action; making a wand for a non-magical half-blood. He found Eloise to be very ruthless, and she found him to be very co-operative at times.

Amanda found him to be peculiar, slightly eccentric, and enjoyable company, despite his unblinking stare, and gruff manner. He had began by taking a long measuring tape from his pocket, and set it to begin taking a series of measurements by itself, while Eloise hovered impatiently.

" What I am imagining," she said, " is a light lady's wand. Something not too high spirited. And fair, like maple."

He deliberately ignored her, as he went through the samples, weighing them each carefully, and holding them up against the light, or next to Amanda's shoulder.

" What hand do you favor?" he demanded.

" Her left." Eloise said, before Amanda could answer.

Edward grimaced.

" Madam, I cannot work with you interrupting!" he declared, and ushering her to the door, he shoved her through and closed it loudly.

Amanda seemed prepared to bolt when he turned back, so he offered a slight smile.

" Now, which hand do you favor?" he asked, as though nothing had occurred.

" My left." she answered.

He frowned, which was completely controversial to his tone when he exclaimed delightedly;

" Left! Wonderful. There is hope yet. " he examined her hand, then placed one of the wands in it.

" Don't be discouraged if the right one isn't here. Sometimes it takes years to find the right wand. These are a suggestion, that's all, an idea of what you need. This one is maple, twelve inches, springy."

She clutched it expectantly, and he sighed in frustration.

" Well?" he waved his hand in an impatient circle. " Wave it around. Try a spell, if you know one."

She knew several, thanks to Eloise and Winter, but she couldn't explain how utterly ridiculous she was going feel shouting out a spell, only to have nothing happen.

Blushing furiously, she tried a simple, whispered 'wingardium leviosa', and was surprised to feel the wand grow very warm in her hand. That was all that happened however.

" Aha...well." he snatched it away and thrust another in it's place. " Willow, thirteen and 1/4 inches, whippy. Good for charms."

Again she succeeded in creating nothing but a deeper frown on his countenance.

One after one, she was handed wands. When she had tried them all, he shuffled through them, and laid several of them to the side. He had her hold the remaining ones again. Then wave them. He had her use different spells. Still they were both unsatisfied, and he began packing everything back into his bag, rather viciously.

After this was done, he peered at her very closely. She could do nothing but peer back.

" I could almost swear I have seen you before." he said. " But I remember every wand I have ever sold. I remember your mother's wand. Oak, fourteen inches, wonderfully swishy. A good wand. Very good for Transfiguration. "

Amanda nodded, though she had no idea how long her mother's wand was, or what it was good for. Stella rarely used it, and Amanda suspected that would be an unwise thing to relate to him.

" Yes. So if I can remember her...then I must be wrong about you, don't you think?" .

She only bit her lip, not certain how to answer.

He shook his head, and smiled again.

" Yes. Well, I'll speak to Eloise about this. We can't give up so soon. Good afternoon, Ms. Garret.

Amanda remained, slightly bewildered, for a few moments after his departure. Her hand tingled from the effect of the wands, and she rubbed it over the nubby fabric of the sofa. She noticed then that Ollivander's tape had been left behind, and was attempting to coil around her ankle.

She shook it off, slightly startled, and it pulled back to regard her with dismay.

No, that's silly.It can't look dismayed! It isn't alive, merely charmed, she thought to herself. Charmed or not, she had to chase it around the parlor, and corner it behind the ficus before she could catch it. It squirmed and pulled, and even pretended to strike like a snake but she retained her grip, hurrying out into the foyer.

It was a moment too late. She glimpsed his distinct figure outside the front window a second before he Disapparated.

The tape, which had been been wriggling frantically in her hands, gave a dramatic shudder and fell limp, it's 'head' thrown back over her wrist, as though in a dead faint.

" Well!" she exclaimed, amused.

" Well what? What do you have there?" Eloise asked, seeking her out.

" Mr. Ollivander's tape. He left it by accident."

Eloise frowned, and lifted the 'head', then let it fall back again.

" That's strange, he isn't the sort of person to forget his tools. Let me have it." Amanda winced as Eloise began rolling it up tightly. " He can retrieve it on Wednesday. Or perhaps I'll hold it as a hostage until he does what I ask."

She dropped the rolled up tape into a small pewter box that sat on one of the occasional tables. With a wave of her hand, the box closed and locked.


***
The second visit was less aggressive. Eloise had moved them, after an accidental spell had shot a bolt of light through her favorite what-not shelf, into the second parlor.

This room had not been opened in months, the furniture was all covered with white cloths, and dust had pooled in the wrinkles. Most importantly, it had no breakable objects stored within. Shortly after they began the session, one of Eloise's favorite peddlers, a Wizard who made bi-annual visits to sell magical ladles and fancy hats, had arrived, and Eloise left to entertain her new guest.

According to Mr. O, who was in a much more cheerful, if somewhat philosophical mood, the last of the Hogwarts' students had been to his shop, and therefore, he was not in so much of a rush.

" No offense to you, but I do believe Eloise could have waited until the middle of September for this. "

Amanda had agreed. She felt less enthusiastic about the wand now, anyhow. Eloise had been wrong.

She simply did not have magic in her. Stella had attempted to explain to Ollivander that she had tested Amanda at a very young age, and she simply had no abilities. He had given the non-committal gesture of a man who is only doing what he is asked, and that by a friend. This did not impress Stella, who admitted to Amanda later, that she had never forgiven him for scaring the wits out of her when she first went in to buy a wand as a little girl.

Amanda didn't find him the least bit scary, but he was relentless. By the time she had waved half of the wands, Amanda's arm ached, and she wondered if the tingle she had experienced the first time was only imagination. After an hour, Polly hurriedly brought in a tray of refreshments, and left again quickly, without speaking. That meant that Agnes had been harassing her over some triviality.

Amanda and Ollivander fell to talking. He questioned her about America, a country he had visited on occasion for the purpose of acquiring rare and expensive ingredients for wand cores.

Occasionally, a Witch or Wizard would pass in front of the window, and Ollivander would have to break off from his dialogue to test the depths of his memory.

" Lawrence Pickle. 15 inches, oak, unbending,with a...let's see...dragonstring core. The year was...1948. Yes of course. 1948. Who would have thought he would go into accounting? He showed such promise." he sighed.

His talent never failed to impress Amanda, who had been an entire year learning Hamlet's soliloquy, and still forgot the entire middle part to 'Evangeline'.


However, despite his expertise and dedication, she failed to find a wand among his stock, and he packed them away with a certain stiffness, denoting his displeasure with both the wands and the client. Their non-cooperation was, to him, entirely unprofessional.

This displeasure did not prevent him from finishing his description of how and where in Louisiana he had had to go to find certain freshwater pearls; pearls that were overlooked by Muggles, but were so powerful in the Wizarding world that only the very affluent could afford them.

He had a dramatic and intense way of explaining the most simple facts; and Amanda felt herself engrossed, as though listening to a particularly engrossing mystery, listening carefully for important clues.

So engrossed, that when Eloise burst into the room, she nearly choked with surprise. Her aunt seemed slightly pale, and held a small parchment in her hand.

" Have you heard? " she demanded of Edward, then continued before he could answer. " The Ministry? "

He made an expression of disdain.

" Oh yes...the conspiracy thickens. " he commented drily.

" I believe it is to be passed this time. " Eloise said, shaking the paper.

" Yes, well..." he sighed, gathering up his things. " That is what we were afraid of, wasn't it?"

Eloise threw her hands up into the air.

" We were afraid.' she scoffed" We need a new Minister...that is what we need., before we have a true reason to really be afraid."


She noticed Amanda, who was still seated, listening patiently, without understanding.

" Did you find a wand?" she demanded, a bit sharply.

" No, Aunt Eloise."

Eloise turned back to face Ollivander.

" I told you-" she began, but he interrupted.

" And I told you...I will resort to that only when all other possibilities have failed. Bringing her to Diagon Alley would simplify matters a good deal, that's where the wands are, you know. No need for all this back and forth."

" Absolutely not. This is a delicate situation, and I don't want it paraded in front of half of Wizarding London. That Skeeter woman would just jump on the chance to write a defamatory article about my-" she broke off at Amanda' expression.


" I'm sorry. It's the Ministry, has me in fits. Amanda, could you please excuse us?"

Amanda was happy enough to escape, even though she could hear the echo of the argument following her down the hall.

Apparently, Eloise won the battle, as Ollivander returned the next afternoon, with even more wands. Though he remained perfectly civil to Amanda, there was distinct coolness between himself and Eloise.

After a wearying five hours...Mr. Ollivander, the finest wandmaker in Great Britain, was defeated. He informed Eloise, in a dejected tone, his fingers pressed to his temples, that he would do as she had requested, though it went against his every fibre.

Eloise was pleased enough and allowed him some sympathy, but not much. He informed her, with as much dignity as possible, that it would be at least two weeks before he could return with the wood samples.

" What wood samples?" Amanda asked, after he had slammed Eloise's front door.

" I don't know for certain. I suppose it shall be a surprise."

" I like surprises." Amanda agreed.

" Excellent, I have another one for you right now. I have someone I want you to meet. You've heard me speak of Martin Ashwell, right? Well, he has just dropped by for a visit. Amanda, I want you to like him. He is very charming."
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You're in my heart, lyrics-Rod Stewart


Footnotes: ' Evangeline ' is a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. little long for recitation.