As soon as Veda stepped into the shop, the smell of wood and dust filled the air. She scrunched her nose, but headed further inside. The walls were covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves, but instead of books they held thousands of wands with different sized and colored boxes that contained them. A rolling ladder adorned one of the shelves, with an old man storing boxes.

Before Veda could clear her throat, the man spoke, still facing the wands he was putting away. “Ah, Miss Lunar! I’ve been waiting for you.” Then the man, who Veda now assumed was the infamous Olivander, rolled the ladder over to her almost hitting her foot, and climbed down with a box in his hand.”Please, try this one. 10 inch, unicorn hair and pine wood.” he said, handing her the wand. Veda took it cautiously, almost scared of the adorned magic wood information of her. Olivander raised an eyebrow, so she finally opened the box and took out the dark colored wand. She gave it a flick, and almost immediately the boxes on the shelf above the door fell, right as the door opened to a boy about her age. Vera closed her eyes in pain as she waited for the boxes to hit the boy, but they never did, Vera opened her eyes to see that Olivander was holding the boxes up with magic, and the boy looked really confused. Veda sighed in relief.

As the hour progresses and Diagon Alley gradually fills with an ever-increasing crowd of these strange people whose heads are almost always topped with a pointy hat, a young blond ends up, as much by necessity as by chance, in front of the old-fashioned shop of a certain Ollivander.

***

Hmm, let's see.
I dig into the right pocket of my shorts.
Where did I leave it lying ?
I then put my hand in the back pocket.
Ah, there you are !
Barely out of its hiding place, I slowly unfold the damaged paper, without sudden movements, for fear of tearing it.
Anyway, this teacher could have given me a better list !
First line, it's done.
Second, it's done.
Thirdly,...
...
Ah, there you go. Ollivander.
I look up to read the rickety old store sign.
Hmm, Olliva... Well, that must be it. But... what will I be able to find in this store? Nothing modern, of course !
I perceive a movement inside. I glance at the window to try to see the people inside, but the dust accumulated to an unimaginable level on the glass prevents me from seeing any shapes.
I look around me. No one seems to care about me...
Well, when you have to go, you have to go ! I open the door of the store with a sure gesture, but I had barely put a foot inside when I felt a strange presence above me : strange cases, elongated in shape, and what seems to me to be wooden sticks, levitating just above my head. I swallow and discover, right in front of me, a young girl looking half frightened, half sorry, and an old man with a focused gaze fixed on the levitating objects. He points his own stick at these flying objects which, little by little, move towards a table on the right side of the shop and come to settle there.
Happy to have avoided a big bump on my head, and with a look of surprise and fear at the same time, I look at the two people in front of me.
Hi, I say with a trembling, intimidated voice. It's a beautiful day, don't you think ?
Then, staring at the infinity of shelves that fill the walls of the store, I frown. Seriously, it's a beautiful day ? Did you have anything better to say, Logan ?

Veda laughed quietly. At least the boy wasn’t mad as her. She knew a lot of people that would blow up with anger at her because of that. ”A lovely day indeed,” Veda replied. His comment was kind of random, but she couldn’t blame him. He literally almost just got hit in the head with magical wooden sticks.

Olivander cleared his throat, and Veda stopped observing the boy. “Shall we continue then, Miss Lunar?”Veda nodded, blushing with embarrassment. Olivander got back on his ladder, and while he was looking for her next wand to test, Veda stood awkwardly next to the boy. She looked around, focusing on anything but him. She wasn’t against people, in fact, she loved meeting nice ones, but she hated making the first move to a friendship.

Veda didn’t know if that came from her parents, maybe, since her mom hated her relatives, or maybe it came from never really having friends at school. Either way, She didn’t like it. However, one thing she hated more was awkward silences. Olivander seemed to be taking his sweet time finding her a wand as well…

Veda sighed and turned to face the new boy, and she smiled awkwardly. “I’m Veda, what’s your name?”she said in her soft voice, then wanted to punch herself in the face. Could she sound any more nervous?

The girl replied to me, saying that the day was lovely.
Lovely... A magical street with owls flying over me and wizards in pointy hats on all sides. Lovely, yes... I guess.

It had already been several long minutes since the mysterious old man had disappeared at the back of the store.
What he had done with his old piece of wood... I couldn't believe it. Magic. Since I have been here, on this street, I have been surrounded by this magic. It permeates this “Diagon Alley”. And, if I believe this professor, in a few months, will it be me who will be doing these wonders, with my own hands ? Ahah, I can't wait to see Kenneth's face when he finds out about this.
I approach the table where the old man has placed the objects that almost fell on me. A good dozen pieces of wood, and the same number of boxes, apparently serving as storage for these sticks. Why should I buy one ? Can't I keep my savings for something else ? A broom would be much better ! Joaquín had shown me what we could do with these magic brooms. I squint, imagining myself on one of these machines. I bet everything he wants that in a year, I will achieve more flying feats than he did in his entire life as a young wizard ! I let out a little innocent laugh while unconsciously fiddling with the sticks placed on the table. So similar, and yet so different…

I come back near the young girl to wait for the old man to come, remaining at a certain distance all the same, remembering my mother’s motto : la persona demasiado cercana genera desconfianza, mientras que un espacio de seguridad conduce a la amistad*
Silence settles. Heavy.
Nothing. For long seconds. What did I say ? For loooooooong seconds. As I let my mind wander, imagining the feats I will perform on a broom, a soft voice brings me back to reality. She barely finished her sentence when I continued, holding out my hand : Logan. I'm Logan.
She gives me a...strange smile. Was it already there before, or did it arrive after my response ? Ah, I probably went too fast, I should have given her time to breathe. I look at my hand. My hand ? But why did I hold out my hand to her ? No one extends their hand ! I lower it and pretend to scratch my leg. What could be better to make the atmosphere heavier than it already was…
And then, what is this old guy waiting for ?
I have a question... What are we waiting for ? Why doesn't the old guy come back ?