August 15th, 2020 || Ollivanders Wand Shop

The narrow streets of Diagon Alley seemed almost ancient in contrast to modern day London. The buildings appeared to lean down, towering dangerously over the cobblestone road below as though they were on the verge of collapse. Barrels containing various odd trinkets sat outside shops, their windows brimming with fascinating, but time-worn ornaments. It was all very gothic looking, Tina thought, except for the fact that everything was extremely busy. The streets were absolutely crawling with witches and wizards, and with the next school year rapidly approaching, it was extra hectic. The young muggle-born weaved her way through the crowds, desperate to stay close to her older sister.

"Keep up, Martyna," Lucie said for what felt like the fifth time in two minutes. Her fuse was especially short today, although Tina couldn't pinpoint why. Perhaps she was just annoyed to have an eleven year old as company. Lucie could be so arrogant sometimes, after all. "You won't have a clue where to go if you get lost. Trust me."

Tina huffed. "Then please slow- oops! Sorry!" Tina squeaked out a high-pitched apology as she squeezed past someone, stepping on their toes in the process. When she looked back up to find her sister, she was barely visible through the swarms of people. She was getting frustrated by now. "Where are you even taking me?" she snapped.

Lucie didn't answer. Instead, she pointed to the tiny, crumbling shop that sat at the end of the street they were walking down. An older man had just emerged from inside it with a long and slim box clasped in his hands. Immediately, Tina knew where they were going. Despite the store's, frankly, underwhelming outward appearance - run down walls and a roof that looked as though it might cave in if so much as a gentle breeze swept past - that shop was very special indeed. She shoved her hands in her skirt pocket, skipping to catch up to her older sister.

That shop contained her first ever magic wand.

She nearly squealed at the thought of it, but just about managed to keep it inside. Instead, she walked beside Lucie with a newfound spring in her step, a silent grin spread across her face, cheek to cheek. When they reached the door, which was almost hanging off its hinges, Lucie let herself in first, with Tina following closely behind. The resounding ding of a bell marked their entrance.

Tina hadn't quite been prepared for what everything would be like inside. The place sort of looked like an old-fashioned library, except instead of books, hundreds upon thousands of slender, rectangular boxes lined the shelves, stacked haphazardly on top of each other in such a way that they could only have been held up by some mysterious other force. Magic, Tina thought to herself, her smile only widening. Before she could say anything, however, Lucie turned to her and stretched out a hand, offering up a handful of coins and looking rather stern indeed.

"Just listen to what he says and you'll be fine. I'll be at the Apothecary if you need anything," she said simply. Tina's jaw fell open. Was she insane?

"You're not leaving me are you?" the younger girl spluttered, outraged. How could she be expected to fend for herself? She didn't know anything about magic! How would she know which wand to choose? Hell, how would she know how to count out the money? Oh God, what if the shop owner was was really grumpy and horrible? Lucie just shrugged, amused. She was already heading for the door. “Can you at least get mum then?" Tina begged, "I don’t wanna be alone here…”

"No. She's with Mr Watanabe right now," Lucie explained, her tone becoming more sharp at the mention of him. Ah, Daichi Watanabe. He was mum's business friend, and Lucie made it no secret that she despised him. Tina couldn't really work out why: he always treated them with such kindness and generosity. "Anyway, see you."

Lucie didn't entertain the debate for any longer; she was gone as quickly as she'd arrived, leaving Tina alone in the dark and cramped shop entrance, the echo of the shop bell marking her exit. Tina sank, rather put out by this blunt treatment she'd been getting. How she wished she could have bought Papa along instead of that miserable git, but it simply hadn't been possible. Sighing, she approached one of the numerous shelves, trying to figure out where to start.

"Ah, hello there!" Tina startled, looking up like a deer caught in headlights. A jolly, albeit quite stressed out, man was staring down at her from an elevated position on one of those mobile ladders, which rolled along the walls. He was older than Tina had expected the owner of a wand shop to be, but who was she to judge? She gave him a shy wave. "Thought I may have missed you. Heard the bell go twice," he continued, stepping down until both his feet were on the ground.

"Yeah, that was my sister," Tina explained, feeling herself relax a little more. He seemed like a nice guy, at the very least. "She's decided to leave me all alone, but that's okay, I think. I just don't know how to do the money or get a wand or anything magic like that. Oh, I'd like a wand, by the way. ...Pretty please." She added the 'please' almost as an after thought.

"Ah, I see... No need to worry, young lady! Let me work my magic..." When the joke flew over her head, the man waved a dissmissive hand, before moving forwards to introduce himself. "I'm Ollivander! And you are...?"

"I'm Martyna! But I like Tina, instead."

Kaegan followed behind his father with a scowl, contemplating the events that had taken place moments before. Not only had he embarrassed himself in a Quidditch shop, of all places, but he'd also lost the money he needed to purchase school supplies and had any freedom to be on his own revoked. His father was silent, exuding bitterness as he scornfully led Kaegan through the winding streets. The clean pathways transformed into rough, uneven cobblestone, grown over with patches of moss and cracked with use. Tidy storefronts melted into cluttered shops, advertising everything from dragonskin apparel to gold cauldrons. Kaegan eyed the scenery critically. After everything he'd heard of Diagon Alley, the crumbling lanes and dingy emporiums hadn't met his raised standards.

A white, speckled owl hooted softly from the window of a menagerie, glancing at the boy curiously. It cocked its head to the side and ruffled its feathers. Two girls ran squealing out of a bright green door, clutching new robes to their chests and checking off items on their supply lists with glee. Kaegan's father stopped briefly amidst the commotions, peering into the front of a large townhouse, polished and hung with a filigreed sign that spelled out APOTHECARY in spiraling gold letters. "I expect you to go straight to Ollivander's, the man said coldly when he turned, eying Kaegan with distaste. "If that's not too... difficult?"

"No, Father," came the sharp reply.

"Wonderful."

Robes tinted an emerald green splaying out behind him, Kaegan's father turned to enter the store. "Father-" Kaegan began, but he was cut off as the man whipped around and stared at him with disdain. "Yes, boy?" he snapped brusquely."The money..." the eleven-year-old's voice trailed off, and his jaw tightened in return to his father's reproachful look. "Of course. How could I expect you to hold onto that as well?" The man dropped a pile of heavy coins into Kaegan's hand, glowering at him once more before departing swiftly.

The boy turned and began to make his way through the streets, weaving past excited students and proud sets of parents, all who were beaming on their exuberant children with pleasure. The street curved sharply, and Kaegan jerked to a halt, finding himself looking up onto the face of a decrepit store. Two glass-paneled turrets concealed rows upon rows of slim, rectangular boxes, held on sleek pedestals. Customers were few here, as if a lull had fallen over this part of the Alley. He had stopped just in time to witness a girl leaving through the wooden door, followed by entreaties for her to stay. Sidestepping her, he entered through the front, his arrival announced by the clanging of a brass bell.

As Kaegan let the entry fall shut, he beheld a girl about his age talking to a wizened, white-haired old man- Ollivander himself. The boy stood on the entrance mat, glancing around the interior superciliously. He caught snippets of a "pretty please" and the end of a joke about magic that the girl seemed to miss entirely, the conversation drifting through the vacant shop. Just as she was introducing herself, Ollivander's head snapped up and he offered Kaegan a musing smile. "Ah, another Chase?"

"Last time I checked, yes," the boy snarked, raising one brow sarcastically. "What gave it away?" The aged man ignored the satire and moved forward so he was facing both of them, clasping his hands in front of his chest and looking the pair over. "Tricky, I'm sure, but I think I can manage with two. Wouldn't want to keep the impatient Mr. Chase waiting," he added with a wink, before disappearing into the sea of haphazard wand boxes.

Kaegan moved forward so he was parallel to the girl but far from the counter, leaving the stacks of wands obscured from his vision. He cast a derisive glance her way before speaking:

"Could you move a little to the left, pretty please?"

Interacting with @Kaegan Chase

Tina hadn't noticed the other presence in the shop until Ollivander spoke, far too enchanted by her surroundings to have paid any attention to the dull ping of the shop bell as Kaegan entered. "Ah, another Chase?" the wand maker had said, giving a polite nod to the other customer over Tina's shoulder. She span around. This new shopper was a tall (at least, tall by her standards, considering he towered almost a foot over her) and incredibly handsome boy, with a dark fringe and cold green eyes. If she had been with a friend, they would have giggled amongst themselves excitedly, admiring him with coy, girlish glances, but she wasn't with a friend. No, today, Tina was very much alone. As a result, her instinct was instead to offer him a meek, pursed smile, huge brown eyes fixated on him, unblinking.

"Last time I checked, yes. What gave it away?"

Whilst some might have dismissed his attitude as cocky, Tina chalked it up to him being confident. He had to be older than her, judging by his appearance, as well as how self-assured he was. The air that he seemed to carry around with him was one of great importance, demanding respect. It would just be too amazing for an eleven year old to be so big, not only in their height, but in their character as well, surely. Perhaps he was entering his second or third year of magic school already, and needed a new wand? That would be wonderful! Finally, she could get a bit of an introduction to the magical world! Ollivander was fine, yes, but he was a bumbling old man. Kaegan was young like her, so they could relate a bit more.

"Could you move a little to the left, pretty please?" She'd been staring for too long. It wasn't only her eyes that were wide open, but her mouth as well, jaw slack; to an onlooker, this would likely have been seen as quite creepy behaviour. Quickly, she snapped it shut, nodding and stepping aside. If he was trying to insult her, she hadn't realised, smiling back at him with undisguised innocence. She was completely and utterly fascinated by how collected he was about all of... this. To her, everything about magic was fascinating and new. To him, it appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary. Buying wands was an everyday occurrence. She had to speak to him. She had to impress him. She had to-

"Lets see," Ollivander interrupted, swinging along the shelves atop his mobile ladder, wand outstretched towards the library of magical sticks. With a precise flick of his wrist, one of the boxes came flying out of its cubbyhole, heading straight for Kaegan. Tina let out a sudden gasp as it whisked by her. To her surprise, however, it sharply came to a stop in front of the boy. "Try this, Mr Chase. 24.9 centimetres, applewood and dragon heartstring, stiff flexibility. I'm especially proud of this one, I'll have you know."

...They were meant to 'try it'?

Instant panic.

How on earth did they 'try it'? Tina didn't even know how to do magic, much less in a controlled manner. She looked up at Kaegan, fearing for one terrifying moment that she might make a fool of herself in front of him. Maybe if she watched closely enough, she would figure it out? Oh no, this was just awful!

"Mr Ollivander?" Tina squeaked, her cheeks colouring, "How do we know which wand is right for us?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "...As in, uh, how do we 'try it'?" She looked back at Kaegan, inclined to give some sort of explanation so that he didn't think her totally incompetent. Somewhat sheepishly, she mumbled, "I haven't been there yet. The magic school. I don't know any spells."

Reducio

outfit of the day~

The girl had spun around upon Kaegan's entrance and was now staring at him agog, a shy smile on her face. Upon his snark, she slammed her hanging jaw shut and moved quickly aside. The boy smirked smugly, stepping up to face the counter. He was finally able to get a good look at her now that he wasn't hidden away behind the haphazard wand boxes, and his first impression was that she was short- maybe someone's younger sibling? She couldn't be a first-year, that was certain. Her light brown cheeks were smooth and rounded, and her eyes were an astonishing dark brown, standing out against the rest of her features. What had she introduced herself as? Matilda? He strained his memory, his brows furrowed. Though Kaegan wouldn't admit it, he'd been too caught up in the remarkable look of the place to pay much attention to other details. Martyna, that was it.

Tina had been timidly grinning at him, and he gave her a cocky smile back, turning his attention back to the shelves of slim boxes piled on top of each other. The boy stood on his tiptoes, straining his neck, but despite his height, he was still unable to catch a glimpse of Ollivander's stooped form past the heaped trinkets. Martyna still seemed impressed with him, like he was a Hogwarts founder or some sort of renowned Auror gracing her with his presence. Kaegan shot a glance her way with one brow raised degradingly, slightly annoyed with her reverence now. If she was that awestruck, why did she just sit and ogle at him instead of troubling herself to speak?

A whirring noise shot by the boy's ear, and he whipped his head to look at the skidding mobile ladder, which Ollivander brought to a halt with a satisfied look on his wrinkled face. The rungs squeaked with rust and wear as he descended, fluidly flicking a wrist in the direction of his leaning shelves. A faded maroon box with the lid proudly flipped open sped through the air, ducking and diving past protruding baubles and cases before coming to a screeching stop in front of Kaegan's impassive, unflinching face. Inside, a sprightly wand sat nestled between layers of blue fabric, the handle engraved with different ornamental swirls. "Try this, Mr. Chase. 24.9 centimeters, applewood and dragon heartstring, stiff flexibility. I'm especially proud of this one, I'll have you know," the old man said, seeming exceptionally well-pleased with his find.

Kaegan was about to pluck the wand from its case, when he felt Tina's gaze back on him, feeling more intent than before. "Uh, Mr. Ollivander?" she asked, her voice small and unsure. The boy looked over at her, an amused expression playing on his face as she continued. "How do we know which wand is right for us? As in, uh, how do we 'try it?'" Oh, so she is going to Hogwarts, he realized with a disdainful glance at her appearance. She shot another helpless look Kaegan's way before finishing with: "I haven't been there yet. The magic school. I don't know any spells."

The boy's smirk got wider and he let out a small snicker as he turned back to the box floating expectantly in front of him. "Ah, she speaks," he said sarcastically, nimbly picking up the wand and testing its weight in his hand. Truthfully, Kaegan had no idea what he was looking for. He'd held wands, of course, but none had ever felt like anything besides a carved piece of wood. Should it shake or shoot fireworks and the like? Still, at least it hopefully looked like he was confident in what he was doing.

Ollivander chuckled in a friendly manner, shaking his head at Tina with a look of fondness, like how one would regard a small child still learning to walk. "No, no dear child. You'll know when it's right? Just watch Mr. Chase here, look and see how it goes."

Kaegan raised the wand with an air of superiority to the girl, flicking it in a random direction. There was a loud snap, and suddenly a shower of sparks rained down from the lightbulb overhead that had just burst. The boy grimaced as Ollivander quickly pulled the wand away from him, muttering unhappily as he shuffled back into the rows of shelves. Kaegan stood there for a few seconds, eying the box still fluttering in front of him before it resigned and fled to follow Ollivander. Turning, he spoke to Tina in a mocking tone:

"So, this 'magic school,' eh? Sounds like you know an awful lot about it." His words were cut off as another box, this one pale green and cushioned with flowing purple silk, sped through the air and roughly smacked the wall next to the girl. Ollivander followed close after, his cheerful smile returned.

"We'll try Ms. Romero now, yes? Ah, better watch out. A tad aggressive, that one is. 24.2 centimeters, larch wood, dragon heartstring. It's rather stiff, but quite a loyal wand, I'll say." Kaegan turned back to face the counter, an entertained smirk on his face. It'd be interesting to see Tina attempt to even flick the wand correctly, let alone cast any sort of spell.

Interacting with @Kaegan Chase

Tina was already feeling ridiculous at having to ask what felt like an exceedingly stupid question in the presence of two, presumably, very knowledgeable wizards, but what only made things worse was the fact that the younger boy kept shooting her these piercing, angry looks, as though she'd done something quite unforgivable. Ollivander was slightly more patient with her, his expression pitying but in a way that showed he found her to be endearing, at the very least. She couldn't fully tell.

"Ah, she speaks." Tina whipped her head up, observing the way Kaegan twiddled the wand in his hand with dark and alert eyes. His voice did incite a bit of embarrassment from her, at this point. Although she might not have picked up on it before, it was very obvious to her by now that he thought of her as a naive child, or something like that. This comment alone was enough to make her want to shut up again. Thankfully, Ollivander was quick to reassure her that everything would become instinctive, and to watch 'Mr Chase'.

Well, this this 'Mr Chase' seemed to be rather the expert in the art of wand waving. Tina did as instructed, watching carefully as Kaegan tested the weight of the wooden rod in his hand, looking very sure of himself. The silence would have probably been a little awkward if she wasn't so mesmerised by it all. Currently, her mind was whirring with panicked questions of how on earth she was going to 'just know' when the wand was right, as Ollivander, who was watching Kaegan with keen, silver eyes, brimming with anticipation, had claimed. The boy raised the wand high, and then-

POP!

One of various dim light bulbs shattered overhead, plunging one section of the room into darkness. Tina giggled, but quickly clasped a hand over her mouth when Ollivander snatched the wand away from Kaegan, displeased by this outcome. He didn't fret about this it as much as she would have expected, using his own to tidy away some of the broken glass before returning to the shelves for another potential match, but he was clearly a bit annoyed. Maybe he was used to miniature disasters like these happening in his shop. Tina glanced to Kaegan again, wondering what he made of all this. She refused to speak, still quite intimidated by him despite the mistake he'd just made. She wasn't usually shy, either, which just went to show how inferior she felt next to him.

"So, this 'magic school,' eh?" Tina stiffened. He was talking to her again. She managed to put on a smile, trying as best she could to seem like she wasn't having an internal freak out. "Sounds like you know an awful lot about it." Well, he'd certainly misunderstood that. She wasn't quite sure how, either. To her, it was fairly obvious that she knew very little about Hogwarts. Before she could correct him, however, another wand of Ollivander's, this one more temperamental than the last, came hurtling towards her. She ducked out the way just in time, wincing as it smacked hard against the wall behind her and crumpled the end.

"Ah, better watch out. A tad aggressive, that one is."

Yeah, you don't say, Tina thought, watching as the slightly crushed wand box returned to park in front of her, rather dazed by the impact. With some hesitation, she lifted the lid off, discarding it on one of the various, crowded tables next to her and peering in; inside was a pale stick, with a harsh, crisscrossing pattern carved out from the bottom, one which revealed a pungent red hidden beneath its surface. This colour streaked up towards the tip. Allegedly, it was made from larch wood, with a dragon heartstring core, whatever that meant.

"No, I don't know much about magic school, actually, Mr Chase. I have a sister there but she won't tell me much." Tina explained, raising the wand up to show him (she wasn't actually sure what Kaegan's name was, but Mr Chase seemed most appropriate for how important he looked). The wand itself felt quite... powerful. Her palm was sweaty around its length. She continued, "But I do know a bit. For one, I know the school's called Hogwarts, which sounds a bit gross, to be honest, and they have lessons where you do magic. They also have four houses which you get sorted into, called Gryffindor, Ravenpaw, Pufflehuff and Slythering." The wisdom and confidence with which she said this was, of course, fake. She hoped that so long as she sounded convincing, 'Mr Chase' would be impressed. "Personally, I think I'm a Gryffindor. What about you? I get Ravenpaw vibes, I think."

That was a compliment, Tina figured. Ravenpaw was the house that her sister Lucie was in: the house for smart people, she reasoned. Ollivander seemed... amused by her lack of knowledge. For a moment, he looked as though he might have corrected her, but he didn't. #Copying what Kaegan had done before, Tina pointed the wand into the air, and waited for... something to happen.

"Mr Ollivander? Is there a real dragon heart in here?" Tina asked offhand, after a few moments of quietly hoping her wand would do something. Where on earth you'd find a dragon's heart, she had no clue. Wait a minute... Tina gasped, as though she'd just realised something very exciting. Spinning back to face Kaegan, she exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, dragons are real then? Wait, isn't that scary? How come I've never seen one? Have you guys ever seen one? Oh wow I bet you have!"

Perhaps it was the thrill of the thought of dragons actually being real, but right at that moment a blast of light shot out from where Tina was pointing her wand, which was, unfortunately, in the direction of Kaegan. Before either she or Ollivander could react, the blast of light travelled past him, colliding with the shelves behind and knocking a group of boxes out of where they were sat.

"Wait! Um, look out!"

Tina, though previously seeming rapturous to Kaegan's maneuvers with the wand, had still failed to speak directly to him, despite her small, irksome giggle when the light burst. Her form had stiffened when he'd sarcastically congratulated her lack of knowledge, but no visible hurt seemed to show on her features- just... confusion. Maybe she is as dense as she's led us to believe, Kaegan thought snidely, watching her flinch and dodge as the box collided with the wall. Disoriented, it floated precariously back in front of the girl, looking a little disgruntled. Ollivander let out a light chuckle, regarding the wand with affection as Tina carefully procured it from layers of fabric.

Kaegan smirked when he saw the vibrant streaks running up the smooth, mottled surface. However little he knew about the basic functions of a wand, it was a well-known certainty that dragon heartstring was meant for bold wielders- certainly not a match for a shy girl, timidly lifting her wand in his direction, as if to display it. "No, I don't know much about magic school, actually, Mr. Chase. I have a sister there but she won't tell me much," Tina said, clearly unaffected by his snark. The light refracted off her wand, casting shadows over Ollivander's expectant face. Kaegan ignored her momentarily, turning to eye the man behind the counter with disdain. The boy had heard great talk of Ollivander, but clearly, if he was giving such an aggressive wand to this naive, oblivious girl, maybe age was finally catching up to him.

Tina began rattling off an assortment of different names, each description barely aligning itself to a Hogwarts house. Ollivander looked less excitedly impatient and was now watching her with an indulgent smile, nodding along at various points. Kaegan, listening with half an ear, smirked as she announced Hogwarts' name to be 'gross,' and could barely hold back a snicker as she proclaimed 'Pufflehuff' with such confidence and sagacity it almost sounded genuine. Everything about Tina, from the formal way she called him 'Mr. Chase-' in thorough imitation of Ollivander- to her astounding lack of knowledge about the place she'd be spending the next seven years, was utterly ridiculous, the kind of thing Kaegan regularly scoffed at.

"Personally, I think I'm a Gryffindor. What about you? I get Ravenpaw vibes, I think," the girl finished proudly, done with her knowledgeable speech. Kaegan whipped around to look at her again, brows raised in a mix of satire and incredulity. After his entire family lineage were known to be Slytherin, after he so clearly disregarded her, this daft girl thought she was getting... "Ravenpaw vibes?" The boy heard Ollivander quietly suck in a sharp breath.

"Yes, I can see Gryffindor written all over you. Recreant, bashful- all defining qualities," he snapped, ridiculing. Clenching his jaw, Kaegan was about to continue, but Tina was already prattling about the wonders of dragon heartstring with unrestrained excitement. She had her wand pointed upwards, an air of animated expectation around her as she paused, waiting for an effect. Kaegan's sneer faded into a haughty smirk as it became clear that she would yield no results. Ollivander was already leaning forward slightly, his hand outstretched to reclaim his possession, when, in a replenished burst of exuberance, Tina spun around, eyes bright.

"Oh my gosh, dragons are real then? Wait, isn't that scary? How come I've never seen one? Have you guys ever seen one? Oh wow, I bet you have!" she exclaimed, regarding Kaegan with enamored awe. The boy opened his mouth, about to mock her folly, when his words died on his tongue and he fixed a wary gaze at the tip of her wand. Impervious to the glowing ball collecting in the air, Tina chattered on. Kaegan finally had the sense to duck, just managing to miss both the ensuing blast of light and the girl's bewildered warning.

Slim, sleek boxes flew haywire off the shelf, landing in heaps around the threesome. One narrowly avoided hitting Ollivander upside the head, somehow collecting itself and veering off to the right. The man looked surprisingly unphased- the same slight degree of disappointment as when Kaegan's wand proved subpar, but nothing appropriate to Tina's sudden outburst. He delicately plucked the wand from her hand and retreated through the new, haphazard stacks of merchandise, humming softly.

Kaegan turned and gave Tina a mocking, tight-lipped smile, opening his mouth before he was cut off once more by a delayed box, whizzing from its precarious position on a rack and striking the back of his head. The boy spun back around in annoyance. "Bloody piece-" he stopped abruptly, the color draining from his face. Inside a thin box, upholstered with rich, purple velvet, what used to be a dark brown wand lay jaggedly snapped in two, fractured from its chaotic flight.

"Tina," Kaegan began with gritted teeth, not taking his eyes off the box."I think I see a 'real dragon' over here. Why don't you come and take a look?" Though his tone was clearly derisive, the boy doubted she would pick up on it; all he needed to do was get her to walk near enough for him to point out the results of her brilliant spellcasting without Ollivander's notice.

He would put the blame on her. It would be easy- her ineptitude of the wizarding world spoke for itself. In fact, the likelihood of her not breaking something was lower than the probability that she would. The girl would leave, he'd acquire a wand in peace, and this day could be over.

"Oh, wow, better come quick. He's breathing fire."

Interacting with @Kaegan Chase

And just when she'd been starting to think everything was going well, it all came crashing down (literally).

Despite ducking out of the way, Tina was unable to avoid the flurry of wand cases that came tumbling off the shelves. At least three knocked her head, one thwacking her in the stomach before recoiling apologetically, another hitting her elbow. She winced at the contact, biting back the spell of tears that were threatening her eyes (mostly from the embarrassment of it all, rather than pain) as she tried to collect herself. She mumbled frantic apologies, to both Ollivander and Kaegan, nursing the blossoming ache in her tummy. The wandmaker paid little attention, seemingly more annoyed by the fact that that the wand hadn't been a fit for her, rather than the state of his shop. It was a mess.

"Tina." The girl snapped her head up. At first, she thought Kaegan might be making an effort to comfort her, however when she met his eyes, his expression made it very clear that he was planning nothing of the sort. Even she couldn't miss the pure venom in his voice, angry eyes boring into her like furious lasers. An involentery gulp hung in her throat. "I think I see a 'real dragon' over here. Why don't you come and take a look?" Tina forced herself not to get excited by this. There wasn't a real dragon - she already knew. Whatever was awaiting her, though, was probably just as dangerous. She hesitantly crept forwards, casting a wary eye back to where Ollivander stood, browsing the shelves. "Oh, wow, better come quick. He's breathing fire."

Tina obediently quickened her pace, moving towards Kaegan with sweaty palms. She'd really blown it with him; he seemed to despise her, even after the impressive demonstration of knowledge he'd been witness to. She just wanted a cool wizard person to think of her as... special. An equal. Why did she have to set an army of wands on him? Part of her brain tried to pass the blame off. It was the wands fault for hitting him, surely, and not her. They seemed somewhat sentient after all-

Oh.

Inside one of various boxes that now rested on the ground, cloaked in elegant purple velvet, lay one of Ollivander's precious wands, snapped in two. Tina clamped a hand over her mouth, barely able to believe the trouble she'd caused. If Kaegan hated her by now, Ollivander had to as well. Her mind immediately began springing to the worst conclusions. Even with her limited understanding of how wands were made, they had to be quite expensive to produce. After all, how many dragons could their be to get heartstrings from? If that wasn't bad enough, Ollivander seemed exceptionally proud of his creations. What if he forbade her from ever entering the shop again? What would happen if she went to Hogwarts without a wand? Could she even do any magic? If she couldn't, would she be expelled? Would she be forced back into non-magic school, where she'd spend her days reciting the quadratic formula, writing essays on sonnets and memorising the key dates of the Cold War? Would she?

"C-can we fix it?" she spluttered to Kaegan, desperately trying to keep her voice low so as to not alert Ollivander. There had to be a wand fixing spell - maybe he'd even know it! She grabbed the two halves of the broken stick, startling when white sparks fizzled out from the ends that had previously been joined. She held them out to him, as though to say 'you do something!', sheer panic spread all over her face. "Please, I want to go to magic school! You said I'd be a good Gryffindor, didn't you? Please help me!"

Ollivander was already pacing over, another box in his hand, this time looking to Kaegan. Tina gave him one more frenzied look.

"..Please!"

Tina crept closer, seeming genuinely excited by the notion of a dragon amongst the wands. Could she really have fallen for something that ridiculous? If they were in other circumstances, Kaegan might have smirked, but Ollivander seemed almost finished with his choosing. One of the old man's long, gnarled fingers traced the rows of boxes, settling on a slim one with silver filigree and letting out a small breath of satisfaction. Tina was moving forward more rapidly, and the boy was too busy watching Ollivander flip open the glossy lid with apprehension to register her arrival at the scene. The sound of the girl quickly putting a hand to her mouth in shock alerted him to her presence, standing next to him and staring down at the wand. He could remember her looking distressed before, when the boxes had gone amok, but now she seemed outright terrified, gaping down at the breakage with disbelief.

Kaegan knew Tina was aware of his dislike, but desperation seemed to get the better of her as she grabbed the wand, thrusting it at him while white sparks fizzed from the severed ends. The boy winced involuntarily- he was no expert, but it seemed clear that the damage was irreparable. Even if there was a mending charm that functioned on magical objects, there was no way he could do it without a wand of his own, and the force of a spell would probably notify Ollivander of the mishap before the detriment wares could be mended.

"C-can we fix it?" Tina asked, her voice anxiously stammering. "Please, I want to go to magic school! You said I'd be a good Gryffindor, didn't you? Please, help me!" Kaegan sneered down at her, any mockery about her failure to recognize his sarcasm lost in the situation. She was holding the broken wand out pleadingly, almost begging him to take it. Panic was quickly blossoming in her eyes- some sort of recognition of her futility in this scenario, perhaps? The boy stepped back, leaving her with the two sparking halves. This was easy. Ollivander would approach, see her clutching the damage, and everything would play out perfectly.

The pleased footsteps of the wandmaker drew nearer, seeming to echo louder than they had a few minutes ago. He looked overjoyed, holding the sleek box from before and advancing towards the destruction with vigor. "...Please!" Tina said, her voice a beseeching, agitated whisper. "This is the one," Ollivander began to declare, almost upon them. "I'm sure of it, Mr. Chase. Absolutely sure."

Kaegan gritted his teeth, bitterly regretting every spontaneous move as he sidestepped in front of his companion, leaving her with the jagged ends. "Thank you," the boy snapped, his attempt at a pleasant smile forced and contemptuous. Ollivander didn't seem to notice the shift in attitude, eagerly handing him the box like a child giving out handmade drawings. Kaegan cringed slightly, knowing that, if the man was this excited to present his creations, then his emotions would be equally fervent if he found that they'd destroyed one.

Inside the box lay a thin, light brown wand, long and shining with verve. "Walnut wood and phoenix feather, 22.2 centimeters, quite the fit for you," Ollivander announced. The boy lifted his new possession out of the box, circumstances momentarily forgotten in the sensation of awe he felt. The wand felt almost like it was... humming? It's frequency picked up in an excited frenzy when he held it in his palm, examining it without breathing. Looking immensely happy, the wandmaker beamed and gestured at an extinguished candle. "Go on, see how it is."

Kaegan flicked the wand, still taken aback by how lively it felt. To his shock, as soon he pointed it towards the wick, a boisterous glow shone from its tip and the candle lit itself in a flash of roaring flame. Ollivander applauded gleefully, almost jumping up and down from sheer excitement. "Yes, yes, I knew as soon as I saw it that you two would be perfect. Come, come along, let's get that paid for!" The wandmaker smiled expectantly, waiting for Kaegan to advance towards the large, wooden countertop. Awash with self-satisfaction, the boy took a step forward before drawing to a sudden halt, realization hitting him with full force.

If he moved, Ollivander would see Tina with a sputtering, ruined piece of merchandise. It was too late for Kaegan could deny affiliation with the deed- after all, he'd shielded her from view. The boy cursed himself for bothering to help the girl, and then shot an angry scowl behind him, his mind racing for some sort of diversion. He couldn't tell if the expression on the wandmaker's face was of delight, concern, or suspicion.

Finally, Kaegan clenched his jaw, mind made up. "Oh, look at that," he muttered dryly, tossing the wand to the side. It traveled further than he'd expected, hitting the opposite wall with a melancholy thud and dropping to the ground. Surprisingly, Ollivander remained cheerful, scurrying off with a remark of "ah, no worries, they do tend to be fussy when they're new."

As soon as he had scuttled out of earshot, the boy whipped around and glared at Tina, his voice hushed and annoyed. "Well? You have about five seconds before we both don't go to the 'magic school.'"

Interacting with @Kaegan Chase

Oh my God.

He was actually covering for her. Tina had thought her luck running dry when he'd met her with that same cold, sneering expression as before. He simply detested her: that much was clear. She didn't have much time to be hurt by this idea, or think of anyway to recover his opinion of her, however, when Ollivander came bouncing over, a new box clutched in his wrinkled hands. It was then that the unthinkable happened, and Kaegan slipped in front of her, covering for the mess she'd gotten herself into.

For a moment, she just stared at him, gobsmacked. Her desperation had obviously swayed him; perhaps her premature anxiety at the thought of Ollivander's upset had rubbed off on him, and now he was worried too. This expression, which made her look far too useless, quickly melted into one of complete and utter gratitude and relief as she realised this was her first and likely only opportunity to escape responsibility. This gratitude soon became immense concentration as the cogs began turning. Tina had to think fast, something she wasn't fantastic at doing, regardless of whether she was under pressure or not.

Embarrassment. Tina stared at the broken stick in her hand, furious at herself for being so careless. Ollivander watched Kaegan with child-like eagerness as the boy tested his wand - one which seemed far more suited to him than any of the ones Tina had tried for herself thus far. She had been given an out, and yet her brain was too fuzzy for her to even begin to come up with a plan. For that, she wanted to punch herself. Behind the other boy, she became a sheepish, meek, mess of a girl, praying for an adult to swoop in and save her.

Helplessness. Her time was running out. Ollivander was pleased with his decision, and was now keen to see his second customer out the shop, already suggesting that the boy should pay. It was as though she was watching thousands of grains of sand in a tiny hourglass rapidly deplete falling through the tiny gap in the middle, except this was less like an hourglass and more like a half-a-minute-or-so glass. She gulped, although found it very difficult to do so with the dryness of her throat.

Panic. What on earth was she expected to do at this point? Hadn't she already proven to this boy she wasn't the most reliable girl under the sun? Hadn't she made enough blunders? Had Kaegan even taken pity on her, or was it just entertaining for him to watch her struggle and squirm under stress? Was he going to rat her out any moment? Honestly, Tina didn't know anymore. Ollivander was now attempting to shuffle him towards the counter now, most likely hoping to continue on with the match-making process for his trickier Muggle-born patient.

And then, against all odds, Kaegan shocked her by covering for her second time.

His newly matched wand threw across the room as he chucked it. Naturally, she had only realised that this gesture was purposeful when he turned around to say, "Well? You have about five seconds before we both don't go to the 'magic school.'" Five seconds. Five seconds to save herself, and him, apparently. Now that the burden of two lay on her shoulder, Tina was feeling more inspired, although she still wasn't sure what he was trying to insinuate she do. Part of her suspected he hadn't a clue himself, although so far she had managed to convince herself that he was some uber-intelligent wizard prodigy. Still, she gave him a purposeful nod, before doing the only thing which felt right.

She flung herself towards one of the various, dusty windows, pulled it open and chucked the awful thing outside.

This was just in time, too, as Ollivander was returning with Kaegan's supposedly trouble-making wand. Tina winced at the proximity of the two events, thinking for a moment that she'd been caught in her haste, but such a thing couldn't be less true. It helped that Ollivander was so distracted with Kaegan, and another wand, which he'd retrieved on his way back. "This is a funny one, Miss Romero! Rather large, but don't let that intimidate you!" This much was true. Tina couldn't manage much in terms of acknowledgement, although there was certainly some shock at the length of the thing. "32.9 centimetres precisely: chestnut wood with a unicorn hair core! Ideal for casting defensive and protective charms, I say! It'd fallen off the shelves - I would almost argue it's fate, no?" Tina nodded, bemused by it all. "Right, come now, Mr Chase! Lets send you on your way! Two galleons and a sickle, that'll be!"

From behind, Tina attempted to discreetly mouth a 'thank you' to Kagean, although, as you might expect from someone like Tina, this wasn't actually very well disguised at all. She hoped that this interaction was an offering of friendship from Kaegan, which was perhaps delusional on her part. Still, she was sure she'd see him again at Hogwarts, and maybe get him a Cadbury's Dairy Milk bar as a thank you.

Ollivander's back was turned, the shop was empty, not a single soul was passing through the cracked, cobblestone streets outside, yet this imbecile of a girl was still standing there, dumbstruck, the wand in her hand and an expression of sheer panic on her face. A few voices drifted in through the open windows, carried by the slight breeze outside that had picked up. A group of men, coming in an assortment of sizes, walked past the wand shop, stopping to peer in briefly. Besides them, there was no other traffic- Diagon Alley seemed completely deserted. Ollivander had scooped up Kaegan's new wand and was examining it under the warm glow of one of the golden lights hanging down, scrutinizing the surface for scratches or dents. The boy looked at Tina, his eyes furious and, behind that, concealing panic. His father would be outside soon, looking for him, and what would he say if he found Kaegan talking with this girl, who knew absolutely nothing of the magical world, and assisting her in hiding broken merchandise?

Tina seemed determined now, looking at him with a resolute nod that the boy almost didn't catch. How had he been so impulsively rash as to let her handle this? She was incompetent, unhelpful, and knew nothing more about wands than he did about portable phones and suburban houses. For all he knew, she had been standing uselessly behind him, trying to jam the two halves back together like a small child jabbing an outlet with a fork. Why there hadn't been any loud electrical zaps and the smell of frying first years was far beyond him. Still, his arrogance refused to let him be mad at his own self for long. After all, was any of this his doing? Had he been the one recklessly whipping boxes off the shelves and damaging costly magical items? No, Kaegan had just been here to get a wand and leave, like every other student going to Hogwarts in the coming year. He never meant to help her, he wasn't intending on continuing his assistance any further, and he certainly wasn't planning on being blamed.

It wasn't just the irritating nature of it all, though. The contempt he felt for Tina was immeasurably high. She was clearly a Muggleborn, or else an extremely uneducated Halfblood- there wasn't a chance she could be up to his pure standards and still remain this ignorant of the world around her. If it was him, he'd have found a solution already, instead of standing there agape, waiting expectantly for someone to solve all her problems. Who had raised this girl? Who had taught her to be so dependent on others, to never think rationally, to not know a thing about what would now be her life? Kaegan's jaw clenched, his mind briefly flashing to a vision of him explaining the whole mishap to Ollivander, finding a way to omit his relation to the turn of events. He'd insulted her every way he could think of, treating her patronizingly and degradingly, yet it was clear she needed to be reprimanded by an adult, someone who could revoke privileges.

Think how much better Hogwarts would be without people like her, the boy thought, scowling at Tina derisively. What he'd heard so far about this magical castle, the rows of shops providing you with wands and cauldrons, even the people, seemed to just be an overembellished fantasy. Ollivander wasn't an omniscient wizard, wisely providing wands for decades of students- he was an indulgent, blundering old man who fell for the schemes of a childish, irksome girl. While Kaegan had never worried about being behind in his studies in the slightest, believing himself to be more educated than his peers could ever hope to achieve, if everyone at Hogwarts was like Tina, then there was no hope of him enjoying his time, or even considering the studies there anything above a waste. The boy opened his mouth, pivoting to be in the range of Ollivander's hearing, but the sound of his companion darting off snapped him away from any thoughts of self-gain.

The girl had sped over to one of the windows, the severed wand still clutched in her hand, before yanking up the smudged glass and throwing the wand out into the street. Kaegan watched, trying his best to keep his eyes from expressing his shock, though he did feel his brows lift involuntarily. Truth be told, he hadn't thought of any sort of plan that could extricate them from this mess, but he did know that the ideas he could have reached would have been better than that. The split, sputtering stick clattered down onto the pavement below, luckily not looking like it attracted the attention of any curious passerby.

The sound of Ollivander's elated footsteps rang through the store, coming their way. "Right, come now, Mr. Chase! Let's send you on your way! Two galleons and a sickle, that'll be!" It seemed like he was satisfied with the state of Kaegan's future purchase, as he now seemed eager for him to pay. He'd also retrieved an especially large wand, brandishing it towards Tina with equal vigor, apparently not noticing his wares flying out of the window. The girl accepted it with a bewildered nod. If Kaegan hadn't been surprised by Tina's method of disposal, he probably would have said something demeaning about the incredible size, but instead, he just followed Ollivander to the polished counter, reaching into his pocket for the currency he'd been allotted.

Ollivander handed him the box now containing his new paper-wrapped wand with a pleased smile, his white hair sticking up even more than it'd been upon their first meeting if that was possible. It seemed the excitement of the day had done something to him, though why he was so exuberant Kaegan had no idea. He must have sold over a million wands, and yet he was overjoyed that two priorly unknown customers could find theirs. The boy's newfound position on the wandmaker's faux pretense of sagacity wavered.

"Lovely, thank you," he said, his voice returning to an aloof and supercilious tone as the shock wore off. Turning to leave, he saw Tina mouth an obvious 'thank you.' Kaegan returned the acknowledgment with a haughty scowl, eying her with disdain. It was almost funny, how unsophisticated she was. He disliked her, that was clear, and he wasn't planning on letting her return any favors- it was likely she'd find a way to clumsily mangle her attempted endeavors to repay him. The only debt of gratitude he would appreciate would be her refraining from attending Hogwarts.

The boy briefly glanced over his shoulder as he reached the exit, meeting Ollivander's sparkling eyes. The old man beamed, cocked his head, and looked over at the window Tina had flung the wand from, before returning his gaze with a small, surreptitious wink. Kaegan pulled up short, halting momentarily in the doorframe with his jaw clenched and his face a shade paler. So, he really does know everything. Fantastic.

The bell rang softly as the bitter, supercilious boy left, not staying to watch Tina find her own wand. He'd had his share of her failed efforts for the day.

He walked swiftly away from the shop, his lips still curved in a scornful frown.