Coral

You're nobody til somebody loves you

You're nobody til somebody cares

You may be king, you may possess the world and it's gold

But gold won't bring you happiness when you're growing old

The world still is the same, you never change it

As sure as the stars shine above

You're nobody til somebody loves you

So find yourself somebody to love


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" Just put your hand into the box. "

" What is in there?" Amanda asked, cautiously.

Mr. Ollivander smiled indulgently.

" Wood tiles. I want you to hold them, one after another, and pull out the right one."

" How do I know which is right?"

" By the way it feels, of course!"

Amanda wasn't certain how 'right' should feel, but she reached into the box just the same and began to fondle the smooth chips. At first she noticed nothing unusual about any of them. They were cool, and rather rough. She could not even distinguish whether or not they were different grains.

But then she discovered, near the bottom, a tile that not only felt different, but displayed the same warmth she had experienced in the first wand. It was heavenly, and she found herself not wanting to let it go.

" Hawthorn. Yes...Hawthorn. Of course. " he nodded excitedly as she drew it from the box. " Just look at that grain!"

She herself could not distinguish one wood from another, but she had to agree, it was pretty.

That afternoon when he left, he was decidedly cold to Eloise. Eloise was incredibly pleased with herself and ignored his demeanor, even when he slammed the door without saying goodbye.

It was several weeks before Amanda saw him again.

During that week, Stella went to visit her brother, Rogero, in St. Mungo's. She and Winter had a very testy argument beforehand, due to something Stella had said twenty-four years ago, and Winter had remembered. Verbatim. Stella stormed off on her own, and Winter took Amanda to a small Wizarding theater, where Amanda saw her first goblins. The play was some bizarre interpretation of Wagner's ' Der Ring des Nibelungen'. Seeing it performed with speaking parts, and real magic effects was rather daunting, but it was also effectively scary in the most vital parts.

" How did you like it?" Winter asked, her previous mood now lightened.

" I...I've never seen anything quite like it." Amanda laughed. " The creatures..."

" Goblins. "

" Goblins...are real?"

" Yes. It's becoming more and more rare to see them performing in the arts, though. They have such a talent for banking and numbers that they are shifting towards working in more dignified fields." she sighed. " It's too bad about the theatertrying to replace them."

" How often do they have productions here?"

" Oh, they have three performances daily, and the same play runs up to a year if it is popular. I think the shortest was Candide...it ran only a half hour, and was closed down due to cannibalism being too tasteless for the modern theater."

" If I remember correctly.." Amanda ventured, " it wasn't only cannibalism."

" Well, every theater has it's own standards." Winter shrugged. " The only time they close the theater is after death."

" How often does that happen?" Stella asked, shocked.

" Well,it depends on the play." Winter said, as though Amanda should know this. " Wagner is very light theater, you know. Only a few hexes and broken bones. Shakespeare however...why, who could count the Hamlets and Desdemona's we've lost over the years!"

If Winter had one talent, it would be that she could deliver any line, no matter how ridiculous, and be so absolutely sincere, that no one, not even Eloise, could discern whether or not it was a truth or falsehood.

Therefore, Amanda pretended to think there was nothing unusual about actors being blown apart by hexes while in mid-performance, simply for the sake of a good show. If it were Winter's idea of a grand joke , she did not seem the least bit disappointed that her grand-daughter wasn't appalled.

By the time they reached home, Amanda was almost convinced that it might be true.

When they arrived back at Rookwood, Eloise had guests.

" This is Arthur Weasley." she announced. " Mr. Weasley, you know my sister, well, this is her grand-daughter, Amanda."

Amanda liked Mr. Weasley immediately. Perhaps it was that he too had red hair, and was unashamed of the fact. He was also friendly, and unlike the Wizards and Witches that Eloise had invited to her dinners, there was an air of absolute honesty about him.

He was there, with his assistant, on one of the Ministry's routine raids, and he explained to Amanda, after discovering that she was a Muggle, that the raids were required. So many Pureblood families were hiding illegal and black-market items, and using them to harm Muggles. His specific job was to ensure that these Wizards weren't tampering with Muggle artifacts, then allowing them to ' get loose' again.

" You would be surprised at all the deaths that occur because of this." He intoned soberly.

Of course, he didn't really believe that Eloise had anything in the house more dangerous than her temper, but he had no choice but to examine all the houses.

Amanda discovered that he took a great delight in Muggles, and she was grateful to him for this. It was the first time since her arrival that she had not felt the urge to hide her heritage from someone. She was so pleased with his questions, and his enjoyment of her answers, that she gave him her Magic 8 ball toy, which she had kept since childhood.

It amused her that a person capable of flying on brooms could be so enamored of a plastic, water filled toy. It puzzled him too, and she had no doubts that he would waste no time in cracking it open as soon as possible.

This was confirmed a week or so later, when she and Amele happened into him at Flourish and Blotts. Amele was buying books for her eldest son, Jules, who had developed a sudden interest in ogres.

Arthur Weasley was in the company of his wife, Molly, a charming little woman, and when he saw and recognized Amanda, he introduced them almost fervently. To her surprise, they both knew Amele.

" Do you know what was in that magic ball?" Arthur asked excitedly.

" Water?" she dared.

" Blue water. " he corrected. He then produced the plastic icosahedron formerly contained within the 8 ball. " And this mysterious object.

Very fascinating, and of a peculiar material. The construction inspired me to create my own, you see? I transfigured a simple galleon into a wooden shape, of the same form and weight, inscribed with new 'answers'. "

" And did it work?" she asked, curious.

" It did. " he confirmed. " I wanted to stay home and examine it further, but Molly needed a book."

His wife blushed, and held her book tightly against her ample bosom.

Amele laughed.

" Not another Lockhart book? How does he write them so fast, eh? How does he stay so pretty, with all those dangerous adventures I wonder, too, when I can't find time to mend my own robes? "

Molly looked indignant.

" I needed advice on doxies."

" Ah, Franchot was bitten by a doxie over the summer! It's very painful."

" Oh gracious, is he all right? "

" Ah yes. They all are. And how about your children?"

The two women began extolling on the virtues of hearth and home to the extent that Amanda felt overcome with the irrational desire to experience them herself.

She turned to Mr. Weasley, who was also beaming proudly at the mention of his numerous offspring.

" If I may ask, how did you extract that from the magic ball, without spilling the water?"

" Oh! I spilled the water. But I replaced it and mended the entire thing with a simple Reparo charm. Now I am going to carry this for luck. " he rubbed the plastic message piece. " Someday you will have to tell me more about Muggle toys."

She laughed.

" I will, if you promise to let me see the work you have done on the 8 ball."

" Oh, heavens, don't get him started!" Molly waved a hand. " He has crates overflowing with junk!"

" It isn't junk!" he protested. " It's part of my work."

Molly fixed him with a firm but affectionate stare, and he colored slightly.

" Well, it's very interesting junk." he mumbled.

" I'm sure that it is." Amanda said, smiling again.

Just then Amele's son Jules approached, carrying far too many books in his chubby arms.

" Look, mama! " he cried. " Ogres!"

" I see, ogres. Ah, and where are your brothers? Where is Franchot? And Where has the baby gone? Renee?" she turned around frantically for a moment, but discovered him under her robe hem, sucking his thumb and dozing.

Her other sons, Franchot and Arden appeared from behind a shelf, where they had been sharing a bag of Flavored Beans, being too young as yet to have much interest in books.

Amanda and Amele bid the Weasley's a good day, and herded Amele's children out into the street.

" It's too beautiful a day to go home. " Amele stated. " Can you look at that sky and know there are bad things in the world? " she shook her dark head.

" Let's have ice cream before we leave, yes? And you can tell me what you think of this Martin Ashwell your aunt keeps telling me about."

-----

Eloise described Martin Ashwell as a young, handsome and wealthy wizard from a good family. She seated Amanda beside him at every dinner.

Amanda described him differently, but only to herself, and she made a great effort to talk more to the person seated on her other side. This was usually Cosmo Wentwart, but occasionally his seat was filled by whatever available bachelor Eloise could scrape up.

Cosmo was dull. Horribly dull. To be the son of a great speaker, he was abnormally quiet, to the point of awkwardness. When he did speak, it was to defend the taste of eggplant over asparagus, or other mediocre culinary topics.He claimed to be the Wizarding World's only true connoisseur of eggplant--a fact that Amanda did not doubt.

Compared to Cosmo, Martin was very animated. He was also vain and petulant, and she suspected that in spite of his wealth, and his careful facade, he was possessed of only enough brains to eke by.

Whenever he laughed, he would lean forward, and on pretense of holding his napkin on his lap, he would slip his hand under the table and touch Amanda's leg. This she found irritating and degrading and began to keep her free hand in her lap at all times.

More than once she had to pinch him extremely hard, but he never desisted. Once he had even dared to hike her skirt up.

When she complained of this to Stella, her mother told her to embarrass him at the next dinner and then perhaps he would learn his lesson.

Amanda had done just that, though it went against all of her ideas of etiquette.

" Mr. Ashwell!" she had cried sharply during the first course, when, while laughing at a small something Cosmo had said, Martin had squeezed her knee.

" Could you kindly keep your hands to yourself, or seat yourself elsewhere?"

Everyone except Eloise and Martin had laughed. Eloise clearly did not approve of the outburst, and Martin did not like having his actions brought to everyone's attention.

Amanda had hoped he might leave her in peace after that, but to her dismay, he began calling on her in the afternoons. These visits had soon led Winter and Eloise to tease her about being courted.

Amanda did not know how far this rumor had spread, or how much of a stir it had caused. That someone of Martin's breeding should pay court to a half-blood at all was proof of Eloise's social status, and it had made many daughters of Good Families jealous.

Amele listened as Amanda told all. Then she produced a gossip page from one of the Witches magazines. It had short paragraph about Martin and his new found 'love'. With a grimace she returned the paper to Amele.

" Well, it isn't true. I suppose it is Aunt Eloise's way of helping me have fun. It isn't only Mr. Ashwell. There is also Cosmo Wentwart, Philo Fenwicke...and that other one, whose name I cannot pronounce. His first name is Jan. "

" Oh yes. Krysni...Krsiznk...Kryshwiz..."

" That's the one. He doesn't speak English too well, and I hate to see the other's laugh at him. He is much sweeter than Mr. Ashwell."

" Perhaps you should invite him around, yes? " Amele winked.

" No, Amele. I have no interest in men anymore. " she wondered if Amele would ask her why.

To her relief, she did not. She seemed to understand without asking, and only ate delicately at her ice cream.

After they were finished, and had stood to leave, Amele had placed a hand over Amanda's arm.

" I am very happy with Jean-Paul. " she said. " No one understood why I married him. I think you are like me, in that respect. When you find love, Amanda, it won't be where everyone else was looking. I don't believe it would be with a person such as Ashwell. JULES!! Don't hold your brother upside down! Well, he doesn't need to drink out of that! It's rainwater!"

Amanda smiled to herself, thinking of the emptiness she had felt when she loved Hannigan. No...she thought hollowly, it was better not to love at all.

When she returned that afternoon, Polly gave her Martin's card. It was charmed so that the letters scrolled out his name, and his message. He would be by at half past four.

He was preceded by the impromptu arrival of Mr. Ollivander. who arrived carrying before him a narrow wooden box. Polly showed him into the parlor, where Amanda was seated between Eloise and Winter, telling about her meeting with the Weasley's.

He presented the box to Amanda, and for a person reluctant to do the job, he seemed inordinately proud of his work. No wonder, she thought, as she carefully opened the box, and lifted the wand from it's resting place.

It was made of two woods, he announced, something he had never done before. The main body was made of the hawthorn she had chosen from the box. For the handle, he had created narrow horizontal bands of hawthorn, which he had alternated with wider bands of the second wood.

Taxodium distichum.

"Taxodium distichum." he told her, with something akin to a wink."Something from home."

The wand felt wonderful to hold. The woods were fit together so nicely, and the grains complimented each other. Not only was it pleasing to the eye, but the handle fit her hand perfectly, snugging into her palm like a smooth, warm egg.

" Hawthorn, nine inches, swishy."

" It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. " What is in it?"

" One centaur hair, centaurs are the creatures of observation. I don't usually use them...for the majority of the clientele. Also..." he turned to Eloise, who only raised a brow at him. He seemed to color slightly. " And one of your own hairs." he finished.

Amanda placed her hand to her head, as if she could feel the loss.

" I'm afraid that I took the liberty of unburdening you of that particular item. " Eloise admitted.

" I'm sure I won't miss it, " Amanda laughed. " But may I ask why?"

He explained that the wand was special, not only for it's artistic construction, but for what he had done to it magically. He put special emphasis on the fact that it would be considered illegal by the Ministry, not to mention dangerous. At this he gave a cutting look to Eloise.

A normal wand contained a magical substance, and a person possessed of magical abilities was capable of manipulating the power of this substance, with the use of certain words, into performing certain tasks.

Inside of this wand, a set of spells were housed. Programmed, to use a vulgar Muggle term.

Fifty-five of the most useful , common charms and spells. The wand was 'charmed' itself to perform any of these, whenever Amanda, and Amanda only, ( thus the use of her own hair) incanted the proper words. It's duty was for mostly light, 'around the house' magic, but also contained a few protection spells.

Both Ollivander and Eloise then emphasized the importance of discretion, and advised her not to use it in any way that might incur suspicion.

No one, except for themselves, and Amele, knew that Amanda could not use a real wand, and therefore would think nothing of seeing it. However the less often they did see it, especially if it were performing spells, the better. Some clever Witch or Wizard was bound to become suspicious.

Throughout the lecture, Amanda held the wand gingerly, running her thumb idly over the handle. She was in love with it already, but had some reservations about ever using it now. What had she done to deserve such a powerful, dangerous gift?

" ...a duelist." she woke from her reverie to hear the word 'duelist'.

" It has the basic spells, yes, But I wouldn't recommend-"

" I believe I can manage a dueling lesson. " Eloise said sharply.

"Have it your own way." he stated, rising. Under his breath, he added; " You always do."

" Well, can we at least have a demonstration? " Winter spoke for the first time.

Everyone looked to Amanda. For some reason, she felt as though she were a fraud.

It took her more than one try. She had to learn an elegant snap of the wrist, demonstrated by Eloise and Edward several times. When it was correct, the wand warmed pleasantly in her hand, and the box on the table rose easily. To all outward appearances, it would seem as though she were a normal witch performing a familiar and elementary spell.

" Fantastic!' Winter exclaimed. " Edward, it is truly a clever little invention. Worth quite a bit in some circles too, I would imagine. I shudder to think what something like that would do in the wrong hands."

" Let's hope, " he said coolly, "that we never find out."

Later Amanda would learn from Eloise that since the 'magic' in the wand actually came from Mr. Ollivander, he stood to lose everything should the wand be used incorrectly.

" Perfect." Eloise stated after Amanda settled the box shakily to the table once more. " Now Amanda,...Winter, if you will excuse us, it's time to discuss the ugly end of the purchase."

Amanda again thanked Mr. Ollivander for the wand, and hoped he understood that she had no intention of being careless with it. In fact, she intended to use it as seldom as possible.

She and Winter left the room together, only to cringe in the hall as they heard behind them, Eloise's brassy voice demanding;

" HOW much!!?? How much did you just SAY?"

Winter laughed heartily.




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Lyrics-Dean Martin


Footnotes:

Das Ring der Nebilungen--An Opera

Candide--a French satire by Voltaire

Taxodium distichum-A species of Cypress Tree