Ruby bought her first wand at Ollivander's.


It was a beautiful day in August. The sun was shining brightly and no cloud could be found. Ruby couldn’t stop smiling. I wasn’t her first time in Diagon Alley, but is would be the most interesting. She and her father were there to pick up her school supplies. In a couple of days she would be on the Hogwarts Express, going to Hogwarts.
Her father opened the gate, and Ruby had to hold herself back not to run through the alley, all overexcited.
“What do you want to do first?” her father asked her. He was also smiling, seeing the grin on her face.
“Ollivander’s, of course!” Ruby shouted, her eyes searching for the shop amongst the witches and wizards in the street.
“Then you go ahead already,” her father said. “I’ll go to Gringotts first, to get some money. Then I will join you. Buying a wand is something you have to do alone anyway.” He pointed her in the right direction and left for Gringotts.
Ruby walked down the street. It was a crowded day, since it was almost September. There were a lot of families with students, getting their supplies. Not far down the street, she got to a narrow and shabby shop, with gold letters above the door: Ollivander - Makers of magic wands since 382 BC. It seemed there was nobody inside. Ruby sighed, and pushed open the door.
As soon as she shut the door, the noise from outside was muffled. She looked around the shops. All over the walls there were little boxes, on shelves, in cupboards, even in piles on the floor. Most of them were so dusty she couldn’t make out the letters on them.
“Um, hello?” she said, a little shy. “Is somebody here?”
She heard a scraping noise in the back and suddenly an old man appeared. He gave her a look and smiled.
“Ah, it’s nice to see you, miss Night,” the man said. “Welcome to my shop.”
Ruby felt a little uncomfortable. How does he know my name? I haven’t been here before. Ollivander sensed her doubt. “I knew your father,” he said. “He bought his wand here too. You look a lot like him. How is he doing?”
“He is a healer in St. Mungo’s,” Ruby said. ”He’s coming too in a while, just visiting Gringotts first.”
“Let’s get started, then,” Ollivander said. He turned towards a cupboard on his right. Ruby took a step closer to see what he was doing. He took out one of the boxes, wiped off some dust and took the lid off. Ruby came even closer. In the box lay a beautiful, black wand. She took it out of the box. It felt a bit strange in her hand.
“Now, go on, give it a wave,” said Ollivander, and he took a step back.
Ruby waved the wand around, feeling a bit stupid. Suddenly, the wand burst out some greenish bubbles. As they burst, they let out a foul stench. Ruby gaged, and quickly pushed the wand back in Ollivander’s hands. He took out his own wand and let the bubbles disappear, and with them also their stench.
“Ok, that one wasn’t it,” he said with a small smile. “No worries, we will find the right one for you. Now, how about this one,” he said, as he pulled another box from under a pile. The pile swayed heavily, but luckily it didn’t tip over. He handed her the wand.
It was another dark wand, a little shorter than the previous one. It felt heavy in her hand. She quickly gave it a wave, and the wand exploded at the tip, blasting her backwards and falling over.
“Oh dear, that one either,” said Ollivander, helping her back up and putting the wand away. Ruby rubbed her back with a painful grin. “It seems I’m a bit difficult,” she said.
“No one is difficult,” Ollivander said. “The wand chooses the wizard, that is known,” he said. “We will find the right one.”
“And what if we don’t?” Ruby asked. She watched Ollivander get on a ladder at the back of the shop. He returned with a light coloured wand, with a beautiful twist on the handle. A little frightened of what could happen, Ruby takes over the wand from Ollivander. She’s startled, as a warm feeling spread through her hand. She waves the wand through the air, and gold sparks fly out the top. Ollivander starts clapping.
“You see, there is a wand for everyone!”, he said. “Beech wood, 28,4 cm and a phoenix feather for a core. A little flexible. Congratulations. These aren’t the most easy wands to handle. Work hard, and it will be a great enhancement for your magic.” He handed her the box.
At that moment, Ruby’s father entered the shop. He smiled at the sight of Ruby, redheaded and with the box in her hands. He gave Ollivander the gold for the wand, and they returned to the street. Ruby couldn’t decide of this was a nice experience or not, but she was so proud she had her wand she couldn’t stop staring at it.
“Let’s put that away,” her father said. “Ice cream to celebrate?” Ruby smiled and nodded, and they made their way to Florian Fortescue’s.