It was early morning. The sun had just risen, casting long shadows across the cobblestones. Diagon Alley was still enjoying a brief calm before the daily rush, but Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands had already welcomed its first two guests.
"Miss Hamilton, this is your new wand," Mr. Ollivander said reverently.
He proudly presented an open wand box with both hands. "Ebony wood, Veela hair core, nine and three-quarter inches."
"Ebony?" Mr. Lupin looked at Lyla with a hint of surprise.
It was widely known in wandlore that ebony wands chose witches and wizards who were deeply courageous and unswayed by external influences. Miss Hamilton... seemed entirely different from that description.
As Lupin wondered about the mismatch, Mr. Ollivander smiled and explained. "This was crafted based on the material of Miss Hamilton's original wand."
"I specifically contacted my old friend Mykew Gregorovitch and had him send me the exact cut of ebony he used for her previous wand," Mr. Ollivander noted, watching Lyla accept the box with profound satisfaction. "I consider this a true masterpiece."
Lyla pursed her lips and carefully examined the box's contents.
A dark, silver-inlaid wand lay quietly inside. As the morning sun shone through the shop window onto its shaft, specks of silver light reflected beautifully in Lyla's eyes.
'Is this wand really made of ebony?' Lyla subconsciously looked up at Mr. Ollivander. She clearly remembered her first wand being dark purple...
"I specifically treated and polished the wood's shaft," Mr. Ollivander said with a proud smile. "Although Gregorovitch is a master wandmaker..."
"He can be a bit neglectful of the aesthetic desires of the user," he continued, peering at Lyla's face hidden beneath her hood. "As a wand destined to be wielded by a witch with Veela blood..."
"It naturally needed to be elegant, didn't it?" A professional smile played on his lips. "This was my very first attempt at crafting a wand with a Veela hair core."
Lyla pursed her lips, her face flushing slightly. She stammered, "Th-thank you."
"Alright, why don't you give it a try?" Mr. Ollivander shrugged, leaning back against a tall cabinet of wand boxes. "It is not just the wizard choosing the wand; the wand must also choose the wizard."
"O-okay..." Lyla nervously reached for the dark wood. The pointed ears hidden under her hood twitched anxiously.
'If this wand rejects me... that would be terrible,' she thought with mounting worry. After all, she didn't consider herself a courageous or outstanding witch.
But the moment the cool shaft touched her palm, her nervousness vanished entirely.
Mr. Ollivander was truly a master of his craft. This wand felt exactly like her old one, but even more comfortable and responsive. Immediately, Lyla could clearly feel her innate magic flowing smoothly within the ebony core.
'This is an excellent wand...' Gripping the handle, Lyla gave it a gentle, practiced flick and focused her intent.
Smooth magic flowed out instantly, and a bright gleam of silver light erupted from the wand's tip without a single word spoken.
"Perfect!" Mr. Ollivander nodded excitedly. He walked around Lyla once, inspecting the light, and then clapped his hands. "It has fully accepted you as its master."
He didn't even seem to notice—or perhaps simply expected—that Lyla had cast the Wand-Lighting Charm non-verbally.
"Thank you... thank you... Mr. Ollivander," Lyla whispered, gripping the ebony tightly.
She hadn't held a functioning wand in over a week. To finally have a proper magical conduit again made her incredibly happy.
And Mr. Ollivander had clearly put a massive amount of effort into this custom creation. 'I wonder how much a wand like this costs?'
Watching Mr. Lupin slowly count out fifty golden Galleons from his pouch, Lyla subconsciously bit her lip.
'This is all an advance on my future salary!' she panicked. 'Speaking of which, I haven't even asked Dumbledore how much I will earn per month. Surely, this custom wand hasn't already bankrupted my entire first month's pay?'
Lyla suddenly remembered that she hadn't paid for her room and board at the Leaky Cauldron for over a week either. She couldn't help but feel a rising wave of panic.
'It's all my fault for not saving any money back in the day!'
Lyla hadn't saved a single Knut during her school days. Her pocket money either went to paying off classmates who enjoyed hexing her, or was completely drained buying expensive texts and rare materials for her Magic Array Studies.
As for her time serving Lord Grindelwald... Lyla had eaten and lived for free in Nurmengard for three years. She certainly never had the nerve to ask the Dark Lord for an allowance!
Her meager childhood savings at Gringotts probably weren't even enough to cover this single wand. Lyla couldn't help but grip her new wand tighter.
'Just you wait, Dumbledore... Once I have fully repaid my debts to you... I will begin plotting for Lord Grindelwald's great cause!'
'I will find your weakness... and then strike the final blow with this very wand! I will save Lord Grindelwald and revive his dark army!'
'For the Greater—'
Click. The wand shop door suddenly chimed open, followed by a calm voice that made Lyla's heart skip a beat.
"Remus, Miss Hamilton... I see you are indeed here."
"Dumbledore..." Lupin started to say, but he was interrupted by Lyla shrieking, "Eek!"
She stumbled backward in a panic, crashing heavily into the wand shop's front counter.
"Du-Du-Du-Du-Dumbledore?!"
"My name is not Du-Du-Du-Du-Dumbledore," Dumbledore said with a perfectly serene smile.
"Headmaster Dumbledore," Mr. Ollivander nodded respectfully, ignoring Lyla's dramatics.
"My sincerest apologies for the intrusion, Garrick," Dumbledore said politely. "Though I would very much like to stay and discuss wandlore with you..."
"I am actually here today to collect Miss Hamilton."
"Me?!" Lyla jumped. "I... I didn't do anything!"
She subconsciously assumed Dumbledore was here to punish her. After all, his sudden appearances never brought her good news.
"Did you do something you shouldn't have, then?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling dangerously over his spectacles.
"N-no!" Lyla shook her head frantically like a rattle drum.
"Alright then. Let us discuss the specifics outside," Dumbledore said, nodding to Mr. Ollivander. "Thank you for your excellent work, Garrick."
As the three walked out of the dusty shop and into the morning sunlight, Dumbledore took the lead.
"Miss Hamilton, do you remember the task I asked of you?" he inquired softly.
"Ah..." Lyla paused, her mind racing. Then, she remembered what Dumbledore had offered her a week ago: becoming a Ministry of Magic consultant.
"I... I remember," she whispered.
At the time, she had fallen for Dumbledore's manipulative trick due to her overwhelming obsession with discovering ancient Magic Artifacts. 'That's right, it was a trick!'
'I am Lord Grindelwald's loyal soldier, yet I have to serve Albus Dumbledore... and work for the Ministry of Magic!'
'I hate... I hate the Ministry of Magic... I hate Dumbledore...' Lyla pursed her lips, muttering insults inwardly as if the mental rebellion would make her feel better.
"That is excellent," the unaware Dumbledore joked mildly. "I actually feared you might try to hide away like a frightened squirrel..."
"N-no... I wouldn't... And... I'm a person, not a squirrel..." Lyla mumbled defensively. She pulled her hood tighter over her pointed ears just to be safe.
Mr. Lupin, who was following closely behind, raised a scarred eyebrow. "Headmaster Dumbledore... do you mean Miss Hamilton is to report to them... right now?"
"Exactly," Dumbledore smiled, turning slightly to face them both. "Otherwise, why would we be standing here?"
He looked up, pointing his long finger at the imposing brick building situated directly in front of the three of them.
The large, polished brass sign above the heavy oak doors read: Ministry of Magic — Diagon Alley Field Office.
Seeing the official crest made Lyla feel a sudden, violent wave of dizziness. If Mr. Lupin hadn't quickly grabbed her arm to support her, she definitely would have collapsed onto the cobblestones.
"Mi-Mi-Mi-Mi... Ministry of Magic!"
"Do not worry, Miss Hamilton," Dumbledore said gently, attempting to soothe her visible terror. "Even during the darkest days of the war, the British Ministry of Magic never succumbed to Grindelwald's forces."
'That's exactly why I'm so scared!'