Katherine Greenwood: The Hidden World #4

Instructions

Katherine's POV: After that, Hagrid took me to buy the things on my school list. We went into a clothing shop first, where I was measured for the clothes I would need at school. I felt very awkward standing still while someone measured my arms and legs, especially because I had no idea what any of the clothes were supposed to look like. "Do I really have to wear all of this?" I asked. Hagrid nodded. "School uniform." I looked down at the list. "What if I don't know how to put everything on properly?" "You'll figure it out." I wasn't sure that was very reassuring. Then we went to a bookshop. I nearly forgot to be nervous when I saw the shelves. There were books everywhere. So many books that I couldn't even see the back wall. I walked slowly along the shelves, staring at the titles. "You like books?" Hagrid asked. I nodded. "I love them." "You'll like Hogwarts, then." I smiled at that. We bought the books I needed, and I carried the stack carefully against my chest. Then Hagrid took me to a shop to buy the rest of my school supplies. There were bottles, parchment, quills, and all sorts of things I had never seen before. I picked everything up carefully, asking Hagrid what each thing was for whenever I didn't understand. "What's this?" "Parchment." "Why can't I use normal paper?" "You'll need this." "What about these?" "Quills." "Do I have to write with those?" "Yep." I looked at the feather in my hand. "I've never used one before." "You'll learn." I was beginning to notice that Hagrid said those two words quite often. Eventually, there was only one thing left on my list. A wand. Hagrid led me to a narrow shop that looked much quieter than the others. Inside, there were boxes stacked almost to the ceiling. An elderly man appeared from behind the shelves and looked at me carefully. "Katherine Greenwood," he said. I blinked. "How do you know my name?" He smiled. "I know the names of most of my customers." He stepped a little closer and held out his hand. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Garrick Ollivander. I am the owner of this shop." I looked at him and nodded shyly. "Hello, Mr. Ollivander." He smiled, then he explained that the wand would be something I would use to learn and perform magic at Hogwarts. I stared at the shelves. "How do I know which one is mine?" I asked. "The wand chooses the wizard," he explained. I frowned slightly. "It chooses me?" "In a manner of speaking." I wasn't sure I understood, but I nodded anyway. He disappeared between the shelves and returned with a wand box. "Try this." I carefully took the wand from the box and held it the way he showed me. Nothing happened. "Maybe that one isn't right," I said quietly. He took it back and brought me another. I tried that one too. Nothing. Then another. Still nothing. I began to feel nervous. "What if none of them work?" I asked. Hagrid gave me an encouraging smile. "We'll find the right one." Mr. Ollivander continued bringing me different wands. One felt too stiff in my hand. Another made a strange popping sound that made me jump. A third caused a few nearby boxes to wobble, but then went completely still. I looked at Hagrid uncertainly. "Am I doing something wrong?" "No," he said. "Just keep trying." Finally, Mr. Ollivander returned carrying a narrow box that looked a little older than the others. He opened it and carefully handed me the wand inside. It was a beautiful piece of light-colored wood, smooth beneath my fingers. "Larch," he said. "Ten and three-quarter inches. Phoenix feather core. Slightly springy." I looked at him. "What does that mean?" He smiled. "The wood, the length, and the magical material inside the wand. Every wand is different." I looked down at it. "Can I try it?" "Of course." I wrapped my fingers around the handle and lifted the wand. For a moment, nothing happened. I held my breath. Then a warm feeling spread through my hand and up my arm. Suddenly, a flash of bright blue sparks burst from the end of the wand. I gasped and nearly dropped it. The sparks danced through the air for a second before disappearing. Mr. Ollivander smiled. "There we are." I stared at the wand. "That was me?" "It was," he said. I looked at Hagrid, who was smiling proudly. I looked back at the wand and slowly turned it in my hand. "So... this is my wand?" "It appears so." I couldn't stop staring at it. A few minutes earlier, I had been wondering if there was something wrong with me because none of the other wands had worked. Now I was holding the one that had chosen me. My very own wand. I had never imagined that something like this could happen to me.